APD arrests suspect in Sunday night murder

Monday, Feb. 20, 2023

ALBUQUERQUE – APD Homicide detectives arrested and charged Julian Valenzuela for the murder of Janeth Valenzuela late Sunday at an Albuquerque apartment.

Julian Valenzuela, 42, and Janeth Valenzuela, 38, are not related, but they are acquaintances who were staying at an apartment rented by a third person at 1500 Carlisle Blvd., N.E.

Officers were initially called Sunday shortly after 11 p.m. by the resident of the apartment who told police his roommate said he killed a woman. A man covered in blood flagged down arriving officers at the intersection of Carlisle and Aspen Ave., N.E. The man was later identified as Julian Valenzuela. He pointed toward the apartment and said, “She’s dead.”

Officers found Janeth Valenzuela in the kitchen area with an “extremely swollen face,” appearing to having suffered from blunt force trauma. Rescue personnel responded to the apartment and attempted life-saving measures. But she died as a result of her wounds.

The man who rented the apartment, Victor Apodaca, said he was in his bedroom at the time of the incident. When he heard the front door slam into his wall, Apodaca said he exited his bedroom and did not see anyone in the living room. He noticed a small amount of blood on the kitchen door before noticing the back door wide open and Janeth Valenzuela’s body on the kitchen floor.

Apodaca told detectives that while he called 911, Julian Valenzuela re-entered the house and rushed toward the kitchen, wearing different clothes than he previously had on. Apodaca said Julian Valenzuela attempted to revive Janeth Valenzuela before leaving the apartment to flag down police.

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