The Latest: Wife was seeking divorce before Roswell killings

The Latest: Wife was seeking divorce before Roswell killings


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ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting deaths of a woman and her four daughters in New Mexico (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

Court documents show that a man accused of killing his wife and four daughters in Roswell may have been headed for a divorce.

Juan David Villegas-Hernandez was arrested Sunday, a day after police say he allegedly shot his family members at their Roswell home.

He has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder after being arrested in Mexico.

Mexican authorities say Villegas-Hernandez fled in a truck from officers in Arizpe, then bailed out and ran. Authorities surrounded him, and he threatened to kill himself.

The U.S. Marshals Service is assisting Roswell police in the process of extraditing Villegas-Hernandez back to New Mexico.

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2:55 p.m.

Authorities in Mexico say a man charged in the deaths of his wife and four daughters in the United States was taken into custody after a dramatic chase in Arizpe, the Sonora town he's originally from.

Victor Felix, of Sonora state police, said Monday that U.S. authorities called his agency to be on the lookout for Juan David Villegas-Hernandez.

Villegas-Hernandez was arrested Sunday, a day after police in Roswell, New Mexico, say he shot his family members at their home there.

Mexican authorities say Villegas-Hernandez fled in a truck from officers in Arizpe, then bailed out and ran. Authorities surrounded him, and he threatened to kill himself.

The U.S. Marshals Service is assisting Roswell police in the process of extraditing Villegas-Hernandez back to New Mexico.

2:30 p.m.

A New Mexico man has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of his wife and four daughters.

Roswell police identified the victims Monday as 34-year-old Cynthia Villegas and her daughters, 14-year-old Yamilen, 11-year-old Cynthia Janet, 7-year-old Abigail and 3-year-old Idaly.

A criminal complaint in state District Court accuses Juan David Villegas-Hernandez of shooting and killing his family sometime Saturday before fleeing to Mexico. Police say they're investigating a motive.

Relatives who stopped at the family's house late Saturday called authorities after one of them saw the body of a victim through a partially open window.

Police began the process of extraditing Villegas-Hernandez after confirming with authorities in Arizpe, Mexico, that he had been taken into custody there Sunday.

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10:04 a.m.

Police say investigators have confirmed a man suspected of killing his wife and four daughters has been apprehended in Mexico.

Roswell police spokesman Todd Wildermuth says 34-year-old Juan Villegas-Hernandez was taken into custody in or near Arizpe, a city south of Nogales, Mexico.

He was arrested Sunday afternoon by Mexican authorities, who alerted Roswell police.

The arrest came a day after authorities say Villegas-Hernandez fatally shot five family members at their home in Roswell.

Police say a relative discovered the victims late Saturday night after stopping by the home to check on the victims. Investigators believe the shooting happened earlier in the day.

Wildermuth says police have begun filling out paperwork to begin the extradition process. He says investigators believe Villegas-Hernandez was a Mexican national, who lived in Roswell.

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7:20 a.m.

Police say they're investigating whether a New Mexico man suspected of killing his wife and four daughters fled to Mexico.

Roswell police spokesman Todd Wildermuth tells the Albuquerque Journal that Mexican authorities say they might have apprehended 34-year-old Juan David Villegas-Hernandez.

Wildermuth said Monday that investigators were working to determine whether Villegas-Hernandez was caught in the Mexican state of Sonora on Sunday. No other details have been released.

Villegas-Hernandez is accused of shooting five people who police believe are his wife and children — ages 14, 11, 7 and 3.

A relative went to check on the family late Saturday and discovered the bodies. Wildermuth says the shooting likely occurred earlier in the day.

Roswell is about 200 miles from the border town of El Paso, Texas.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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