Man admits to murder 15 years later after getting ‘tired of covering it up’
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Featured Image Credit: Roswell Police Department
A man has turned himself in for murder after fifteen years because he was 'tired of covering it up', police say.
Tony Peralta confessed to murdering his landlord in 2008 after becoming wracked with guilt, according to an arrest affidavit.
The call the 39-year-old made to police admitting to the crime and footage of his subsequent arrest have been made public in recent weeks.
Peralta told Roswell Police Department where they would find the body, with dental records later confirming the body belonged to William Blodgett, who was 69 at the time of his death.
Blodgett had been reported missing since December 23, 2008, and despite police searching the home and the area, talking with neighbors and deploying a cadaver dog, the case went cold, the police report cited in the affidavit states.
Peralta told police said: "He was always good to me. And I took his life for no reason. And I don't have an excuse."
In the call he made to authorities, Peralta can be heard saying: "Well, I killed somebody."
When the officer repeated this back to him, he replied: "Yes sir."
Footage of Peralta's arrest shows him sitting on the curb waiting for officers to arrive and apprehend him.
The New Mexico man admits: "I'm just tired of covering up for it. I'm tired of living with my lie, sir."
When the officer asked him, "The guilt?", Peralta responded: "Hell yeah."
Without needing to be instructed, Peralta puts his hands behind his back and is handcuffed, before being led to the car - thanking the police officers along the way.
In interrogation, he divulged more details about what went down on the tragic night back in 2008.
Peralta said: "It did [happen at the house]. I was on meth really bad.
"And I killed him because he wouldn't give me no money. And I buried him in his house."
Footage also shows the man directing officers back to the house and instructing them on how to retrieve Blodgett's body.
After a bit of digging, they came across a boot with bones inside of it, confirming Peralta's story.
Roswell Police Department issued a statement about the incident, reading: "[Blodgett's body] had been buried inside an attached room on the west side of the house.
"Plywood floorboards were removed and excavation was begun, resulting in the discovery of the buried human remains, including many bones and a set of dentures. The dentures were compared with Blodgett's dental records, which had been obtained in 2009[...].
"That comparison, along with other information gathered during the investigation, led investigators to believe the remains were that of Blodgett."
Peralta was charged with first-degree murder.
Peralta’s attorney, Ray Conley, told CNN: “Peralta was arraigned this week and entered a not guilty plea, as is customary at this stage of the process.”
He is due back in court on August 21.
