Albuquerque Man Accused of Killing Two After Claiming He Received “Encrypted Message” from Cockroach Instructing Him to Kill

 A 25-year-old New Mexico man has been charged with double homicide after telling police he killed two men because a cockroach had delivered an “encrypted message” ordering him to do so.

Alexis Najera Hernandez, 25, was arrested Friday night in Albuquerque’s South Valley and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on two open counts of murder, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a residence just before 10:30 p.m. after receiving reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, Hernandez allegedly met them at the front door with a firearm in his waistband and a Marine Corps-style saber strapped to him. He reportedly told deputies he “had to do what he had to do,” and that two men were dead inside the house.

Authorities located one deceased victim with gunshot wounds near the front of the home and another deceased male in an attached living area who appeared to have been stabbed. The identities of the two victims have not yet been officially released, though one was later identified as the property owner.

Officials say three other adults and two young children were inside the residence at the time and are believed to have witnessed portions of the violence.

According to an arrest affidavit, Hernandez told investigators that one of the men was a friend who he believed had been stalking him and installing cameras inside light fixtures. He also claimed he had been hearing “creepy voices” coming from ventilation ducts. Hernandez allegedly stated that he received a message “through a cockroach” telling him he needed to kill before being killed himself.

He further told deputies that he was a Marine — though U.S. Marine Corps service has not yet been confirmed — and said the act was something he believed he was required to carry out.

Investigators have not commented on Hernandez’s mental health history or whether he was under the influence at the time of the attacks. The whereabouts of the alleged cockroach messenger remain, unsurprisingly, unknown.

The case remains under active investigation.