A young adult faces charges for the alleged arrangement of his parents’ murder through a friend. Darren Munoz, 19, is accused of orchestrating the killing of his father, Oscar Steve Munoz, 58, and stepmother, Dina Munoz, 71. The charges against him include two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and criminal solicitation.
As per the arrest affidavit, the teenager reportedly collaborated with two acquaintances over a period of “several weeks or months” to carry out the double homicide. Authorities responded to a potential burglary at the Munoz residence in Clovis, New Mexico, around 4:50 am on Monday, a call believed to have been placed by Munoz himself.
Upon arrival, Munoz met the officers outside, reassuring them that all was well. However, when the police requested to check on his parents, he allegedly dissuaded them, claiming they were undressed and asleep. Subsequently, when officers inspected the parents’ room, Munoz emerged with blood-stained hands. Inside, they discovered Dina Munoz deceased and Oscar gravely injured, who later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
The arrest affidavit revealed that a friend disclosed to law enforcement that Munoz, along with two accomplices, including Julio Zamora, had been planning the murders for an extended period to gain control of the parents’ assets and finances. Allegedly, Munoz anticipated a substantial inheritance once his father and stepmother were eliminated.
Reportedly, Munoz facilitated Zamora’s entrance into the residence at 4:42 am, where Zamora proceeded to shoot Munoz’s parents while they were asleep. Zamora was apprehended later, confessing that Munoz had solicited him to carry out the killings and that the firearm in his possession at the time of his arrest was the weapon used in the murders.
Zamora, too, faces charges of two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the case.