Woman Killed with Sword, Couple Charged with Murder Might Have Been In Secret Society

A couple from New Mexico is facing murder charges after stabbing and nearly decapitating a 21-year-old woman with a sword.

Officers were called to a Santa Fe home on October 29, at 1:44 p.m., after a report of a possible homicide came in.

The Santa Fe Police Department said, “After officers arrived at the residence, they discovered the body of a young woman in a detached garage on the property. We were able to identify the woman as Grace Jennings. Jennings’s body showed several injuries consistent with being cut or stabbed with a sharp object. Her body also appeared to have injuries consistent with attempts to decapitate.”

Officers also found what appeared to be a bloody sword inside of the garage.

On Sunday, police arrested Kiara McCulley, 19, and her boyfriend Isaac Apodaca, 25, and charged them with one open count of first-degree murder in connection with Jennings’ death. They are also charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. McCulley is also charged with tampering with evidence.

Apodaca’s mother, Linda Montoya, told police that her son said he “found his girlfriend killing another female in the garage.” Apodaca then called 911 and claimed his girlfriend killed someone with a sword.

When officers arrived, they saw a woman later identified as McCulley run inside the back door of the house and shut the door.

After the couple was taken in for questioning, authorities determined the suspects and the victim had slept in the same bed on the night of Jennings’ death.

It seems both Apodaca and McCulley had prior romantic relationships with Jennings.

However, McCulley said she was angry with Jennings, claiming Jennings had watched her being raped by “16 or 17 males” and “collected money” during the incident.

Santa Fe Police Capt. Aaron Ortiz confirmed that a sexual assault was reported in 2020, but not with the details that McCulley claimed during her interview.

Of the night of the killing, McCulley claims she had mental health challenges, and she’d had a period of time where she could not remember what had happened.

However, she also turned around and said, “I’m partially hopeful that Grace is dead. I’ve fantasized many times about killing her in many disturbing ways.”

Apodaca told police he had nothing to do with Jennings’ slaying but that McCulley had been planning to kill her since 2020.

Despite his claims, detectives discovered suspicious text messages on his phone that indicated otherwise.

One of the messages he sent to McCulley said, “Remember, you’ll move up the perks in the black market since this is your first.”

He also wrote in another message, “I am wanting you to kill her, you have to end your suffering by ending her joy.”

When questioned about the messages, Apodaca replied, “I do mean what it says in that text,” and admitted he meant that he wanted McCulley to kill Jennings.

McCulley told detectives that Apodaca is in charge of a secret organization called ‘Ghost’, which gets rid of people who are in charge of sex trafficking or hurting kids. She said Apodaca kept telling her to kill Ms. Jennings so that McCulley could get ranked up in her platoon.

She said, “At one point I had a dagger in my hand and was trying to stab Grace, but I didn’t do it. He kept telling me I had to do this, it was part of initiation.”

When the detective asked McCulley if she killed Jennings, she replied, “I’m not sure.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing.