A judge ordered a man accused of killing his brother and father to be held in jail during a hearing on June 26, even as questions emerged about his mental health at the time of the killings.
Luis Noyola, 46, was imprisoned at the Doña Ana County Detention Center until the double murder case against him is resolved. He stands charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of tampering with evidence.
Police accused him of killing his father, 88-year-old Francisco Javier Noyola, and brother, 51-year-old Lucio Noyola, then trying to cover up the crime as other family members checked in on him.
Prosecutors asked a judge to hold Luis Noyola in jail shortly after his arrest. To do this, state law requires that prosecutors prove Noyola is dangerous to the public and that no release conditions, like bond or house arrest, could protect the public.
The only testimony during a brief hearing on June 26 came from Luis Noyola’s mother, the wife and mother of the victims. Utilizing the services of an English-to-Spanish interpreter, she asked the judge to “put my son in an institution so this way he can be healed.”
Police narrative of events
Luis Noyola, 46, was arrested the morning of June 23 after his sister called the police when she learned about the potential attack.
Police arrived to the residence on the 1100 block of Wofford Drive shortly after and discovered Francisco Javier Noyola and Lucio Noyola dead, a hammer they believed to be the murder weapon, and Luis Noyola confessing to the killings.
According to the affidavit, Luis Noyola told police he attacked his brother and father with a hammer as they viewed something on their computer. He told police that he did it because he believed his family members were controlling his electronic devices, stealing his identity and secretly inserting human waste into his food.
After killing his father and brother, Noyola told police he called his other brother, who lives out of state. That brother informed the sister, who went over to Noyola’s house to check up on her brother. Noyola allegedly delayed letting her in, telling her that he needed to clean up.
The sister then called the police, according to the affidavit. The affidavit also alleged Noyola called several friends, hoping they’d come over to help cover up what happened.
The hearing
Noyola’s lawyer, Samuel McCallum Olmstead, argued that Noyola could be released. He pointed out that Noyola has no criminal history and that all his ties are to Doña Ana County.
“And if we're wanting to order him to get a mental health screen, or what have you, he would abide by that,” Olmstead said.
Still, Judge Douglas Driggers found that prosecutors had proven that Noyola was dangerous and that no release could protect the public. Specifically, Driggers noted Noyola’s apparent confession to police as proof of his intent to kill his brother and father.
“The defendant’s actions represent an extreme danger to the community and those who know the defendant,” Driggers said.
Prosecutors said they plan to take the case to a grand jury in the coming weeks for a formal indictment.
