A jury found a Santa Fe man guilty on Wednesday of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of a woman in 2022. Prosecutors said he had convinced his then-girlfriend to carry out the attack.
Isaac Apodaca was convicted of planning the killing of 21-year-old Grace Jennings. Prosecutors said Jennings was stabbed and slashed to death with a sword in October 2022.
Prosecutors showed text messages, forensic evidence, crime scene findings, as well as expert testimony that they said proved Apodaca planned and directed the killing.
During the trial, Apodaca’s former girlfriend, Kiara McCulley, testified that he lied to her many times throughout their relationship. She said he claimed to be the archangel Gabriel and told her, falsely, that he had killed 40 people. McCulley also said Apodaca arranged prostitution clients for her and pressured her for about 15 hours on the night of the killing until she agreed to kill Jennings.
On Feb. 10, 2025, McCulley pleaded guilty to aggravated second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. She faces up to 30 years in prison and testified for the prosecution during Apodaca’s trial.
After the verdict, authorities took Apodaca into custody. He could face a life sentence. The court set his sentencing for Aug. 24, 2026.
Santa Fe police said Jennings spent the night at the home Apodaca and McCulley shared in October 2022. Investigators found her dead the next day with multiple stab and slash wounds.
At the trial, defense attorneys argued that McCulley acted alone and that Apodaca arrived to find her attacking Jennings.
Prosecutors disagreed, pointing to text messages between the couple. They said these messages showed the killing was planned ahead of time and that Apodaca pressured McCulley to commit the crime.
McCulley testified that Apodaca manipulated her into believing his lies and convinced her that killing Jennings was necessary.
Before deliberations, Judge T. Glenn Ellington allowed jurors to consider second-degree murder as a lesser charge, as the defense requested. The jury still found Apodaca guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
