New Mexico police tasked with unraveling murder involving alleged secret society and possible mental illness

Santa Fe, New Mexico: On Saturday, October 29, 2022, at approximately 1:44 pm, officers responded to a residence concerning a possible homicide.

At the residence, officers discovered the body of 21-year-old Grace Jennings. At the scene officers recovered a sword.

The Albuquerque Journal cites the criminal complaint as saying that Grace's body was found with "several puncture wounds consistent with being stabbed by a sword" and her neck "appeared to have injuries consistent with attempts to decapitate."

The following day, Sunday, October 30, the Santa Fe Police Department announced on their Facebook page that two individuals had been arrested and charged with Grace's murder.

25-year-old Isaac Apodaca and 19-year-old Kiara McCulley have both been charged with first-degree murder. Their arraignment was scheduled for Monday, October 31, 2022.

The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact Sergeant Lisa Champlin at (505) 955-5044 and to reference case number 2022-011401.

According to information that has been released at this time Grace was Apodaca's ex-girlfriend and she had spent the night in the detached garage where Apodaca and McCulley were residing.

It is reported that the three slept together in the same bed that night.

According to Apodaca, McCulley had ordered him and Grace to leave on Saturday morning. He told officers that he had spent the morning packing before going into the main residence, which belongs to McCulley's mother, at about noon to use the restroom.

He claimed that when he returned about two minutes later Grace was dead. Apodaca claimed that he then called his mother and left for a nearby store where police later found him. During his interview he gave officers permission to search his cell phone.

Court documents reveal text messages that McCulley and Apodaca exchanged prior to the killing.

One of the messages that Apodaca sent to McCulley stated, "I am wanting you to kill her, you have to end your suffering by ending her joy."

When McCulley spoke with police she reportedly told them that Apodaca leads a "secret organization" called "Ghost" that eliminates people that participate in sex crimes or hurt children. McCulley told officers that Apodaca had told her that by killing Grace, she would get a promotion.

Text messages sent from Apodaca stated, McCulley would "get tanked up in her platoon" and "get perks in the black market since this is your first."

McCulley additionally is said to have admitted to previously fantasizing about killing Grace.

During her interview with police, McCulley reportedly told them that she "was partially hopeful Ms. Jennings was dead but could not remember what happened to her."

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that McCulley claimed she was unable to remember the events of that morning due to undiagnosed multiple personality disorder.

Santa Fe Police Captain Aaron Ortiz stated that while the department had never before heard of an organization called "Ghost" they were "investigating those claims and trying to find out if there is such an organization that exists."