‘I don’t want to live without confessing’: man confesses to killing landlord 15 years ago and burying him in his house while high on meth
- Tony Peralta, 37, told officers he was ‘tired of living’ with his lie and openly confessed to the 2008 murder of his former landlord
- Peralta said he abused methamphetamine when he killed William Blodgett and buried his body in a shallow grave under his home
- He was indicted on first-degree murder charges, but did not attend the hearing
A man confessed to the murder of his landlord 15 years ago after calling the police and showing officers where he had buried his body.
Tony Peralta, 37, had called police on May 1 from a gas station in Roswell, New Mexico, telling dispatchers that he had killed his former landlord, 69-year-old William Blodgett, in December 2008.
Bodycam footage taken by the arresting officers shows that Peralta repeatedly thanked officers for arresting and confessing to the crime after they showed up at the scene.
The two officers approach Peralta who tells them that he is “tired of covering it up and he is tired of living my lie.”
Peralta also puts his hands behind his back to be handcuffed and thanks officers for coming for them.
Sitting in an interview at police headquarters after being handcuffed, he tells detectives, “I confess, man. I confess. I don’t want to live without confessing anymore.
Tony Peralta, pictured here, called police from a gas station in Roswell, New Mexico, and told dispatchers that he killed his former landlord William Blodgett in December 2008.
William Blodgett, pictured here, was last seen in December 2008 and police say the case went cold after all leads were exhausted
“I was very much on meth. And I killed him because he wouldn’t give me money and I buried him in his house.’
After leading the police to the house where he said he killed Blodgett, Peralta tells them where to find his body.
Investigators said they obtained a search warrant and found a boot, bones and dentures after removing plywood floorboards from a detached room on the side of the house.
The dentures were compared to Blodgett’s dental records – obtained in early 2009 after he was reported missing – leading to a positive identification, according to police.
A tearful Peralta told police he didn’t know why he killed Blodgett. At one point, a police video shows him laying his head on a table and sobbing during an interview.
Peralta, 37, was arraigned last Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder but did not attend the hearing.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge through his public defender, Ray Conley, who declined to comment after the hearing.
In an affidavit seen by DailyMail.com, Peralta allegedly told detectives, “Tell [Blodgett’s family] he was a good man and that he didn’t deserve what I did.
The two officers approached Peralta, pictured here, who told them he was “tired of hiding it and that he was “tired of living my lie.”
Peralta also puts his hands behind his back to be handcuffed and thanks officers for coming for them.
Conley has said he will ensure that Peralta’s due process is respected as the case goes through court.
A judge also set Peralta’s trial for October on Tuesday, but said that date could change.
Blodgett’s girlfriend and family had not seen him since late December 2008. She told police that Peralta, who was considered a suspect early on by police, allegedly had some sort of altercation or altercation with Blodgett, who had tried to evict him.
Authorities had spoken to Blodgett’s family, friends and neighbors at the time and visited the house the two men shared, which appeared to be abandoned with personal belongings still there.
Police found no immediate signs of foul play, and Blodgett’s vehicle was still there, according to the original missing person’s report.
Detectives regularly drove by the house, but never saw anyone. They also brought a dog trained to sniff for bodies, but found nothing.
Police said the case went cold after investigators exhausted all leads until Peralta’s 911 call.