Police ID suspect in double murder-suicide

Matthew Reisen, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·2 min read
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Mar. 7—Detectives have released the name of a man who fatally stabbed the mother of his children and her new boyfriend before shooting himself last month in the North Valley.

Gilbert Gallegos, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said Yoel Rodriguez, 48, is suspected in the Feb. 23 double murder-suicide that left Danay Morales-Hernandez, 36, and Omar Rodriguez-Hechemendia, 25, dead.

Gallegos said relatives reported a "long history" of domestic violence between Rodriguez and Morales-Hernandez and, in November, he shot a gun at her.

It was around 8 a.m. when an off-duty State Police officer found Rodriguez-Hechemendia outside the home the couple once shared. He had been fatally stabbed.

Police responded to the home in the 1100 block of Griegos NW, near 12th and found the bodies of Rodriguez and Morales-Hernandez inside.

Gallegos said detectives learned Rodriguez and Morales-Hernandez had been in a long relationship. They had two daughters and had moved from Cuba to Florida, eventually, settling in New Mexico.

He said they lived at the home on Griegos until Morales-Hernandez broke up with Rodriguez and he moved to Las Vegas, NV. Gallegos said family told police Morales-Hernandez met Rodriguez-Hechemendia in Los Angeles and he came to Albuquerque in February to see her.

He said Rodriguez found out about the relationship and showed up to the home on Feb. 23, stabbing Morales-Hernandez multiple times.

"Her two-year-old daughter was by her side when police arrived," Gallegos said.

He said Rodriguez-Hechemendia had taken Morales-Hernandez's other daughter to school when the attack occurred. Gallegos said Rodriguez stabbed, and tried to shoot, the new boyfriend when he got back to the house.

"Rodriguez-Hechemendia made his way into the street ... where drivers eventually found him bleeding heavily," he said. "Yoel Rodriguez eventually shot himself inside the home."

Gallegos said Rodriguez was arrested in November after shooting at Morales-Hernandez. He said Morales-Hernandez didn't cooperate with prosecutors and dropped a restraining order against Rodriguez "because she did not want the father of her children to spend time in prison."