EL RANCHO, N.M. – New Mexico State Police say a man suspected of killing a couple and their adult son nearly four years ago tried to steal $20,000 from the family who had previously let him stay in their home.
Nicholas Ortiz is jailed Tuesday on three counts of murder and other charges after a judge rejected his parents' request to have him released. They said during a preliminary hearing Monday that Ortiz had cooperated with police.
Investigators say 53-year-old Dixie Ortiz, 55-year-old Lloyd Ortiz and their special-needs son, 21-year-old Steven Ortiz, were found dead from head trauma in their home in El Rancho, north of Santa Fe, on June 29, 2011.
Police later discovered a blood-stained pickax in a nearby field and linked the weapon to the killings.
There's no indication the suspect is related to the victims.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
