ALBUQUERQUE (N.M.) — Police officers discovered Tony Peralta on a curb near a convenience store, in a small community of southeast New Mexico. He had borrowed a phone to call 911 so that he could confess 15 years ago to the murder of his landlord.
He smoked and sweated, telling them that he was tired of lying, of hiding the truth, and of feeling overwhelmed by guilt. He offered to show the officers where he had buried the corpse before standing up to volunteer to be handcuffed.
The Associated Press filed a request for records and the Roswell Police released the 911 recording as well as nearly an hour’s worth of body-camera footage. The footage from May 1, shows Peralta thanking officers repeatedly for picking him.
“I confess, man. I confess. “I don’t want my life to continue without confessing,” said the man in a police interview room.
Peralta was asked a series of questions by uniformed police officers and detectives about the date, time and circumstances surrounding his murder. They also wanted to know how and why he committed it. Peralta repeatedly said he did not know or could not remember. He acknowledged that he was “a lot drunk” on the day that he called 911.
Peralta was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday, but he did not appear at the hearing. Ray Conley, his public defender who was present at the hearing, declined to make any comments afterward. Conley said that he would ensure Peralta receives due process as the case proceeds through court.
Peralta’s trial was also scheduled for October by a judge on Tuesday, but the date may change.
Peralta had been asked by the authorities if he was fabricating the story or leading them astray because he didn’t provide many details other than stating that he killed someone long ago.
He told an officer, while sitting in the back seat of his patrol car in front of William Blodgett’s home in which he had once lived as a tenant. Peralta told an officer he would feel better when the body is found.
After removing the plywood floorboards of a detached room at the side, investigators found a boot and bones.
Police say that the dentures were compared to Blodgett’s dental records, which they had obtained early in 2009 after he went missing. This led to a positive match.
Peralta, a tearful man, told the police that he did not know why Blodgett was killed. Police video shows Peralta sobbing and putting his head on a table at one point during an interview.
Peralta said he came forward to police because his “heart hurts”, and that he thinks about it daily. He told the officer that Blodgett had been a good person and that he killed himself without reason, while on methamphetamine.
He told the police, “I have no excuse.” Many people have an explanation. “I don’t.”
Blodgett had not been seen by his girlfriend or family since December 2008. She told the police that Peralta was initially considered to be a suspect. They alleged they had a fight or an argument with Blodgett who tried to evict Blodgett.
The authorities at that time spoke to Blodgett’s family, neighbors, and friends, and visited the house the two men shared. It appeared abandoned, but personal items were still there. According to the original report, police found no signs of foul play. Blodgett’s car was still in place.
The detectives drove by the house on a regular basis, but they never saw anyone. The police also brought in a dog that was trained to search for bodies, but they found nothing.
The police said that the investigation was deadlocked after all leads were exhausted until Peralta made his 911 call.
