(CNN) — Tony Peralta told authorities that his secret had been haunting him for more than a decade.
He had been considered a suspect in what was believed to be the murder of his landlord, William “Bill” Blodgett, after his sudden disappearance in December 2008, authorities in Roswell, New Mexico said.
But Blodgett was never found. No one was arrested. The case seemed to have gone cold.
That all changed last month when Peralta, 37, borrowed a phone, called police and made a forceful confession to a crime he says he committed nearly 15 years ago, according to an arrest affidavit.
“A lot of people have an excuse, I don’t have one,” he told a detective, according to the affidavit. Peralta called the Roswell Police Department on May 1. In an emotional scene captured on police body camera, he repeatedly confesses to Blodgett’s murder, even revealing to authorities the weapon he used and where he buried the victim’s body, the arrest affidavit states.
Peralta is facing a charge of premeditated murder, according to the Chaves County District Attorney’s Office. CNN is trying to reach Blodgett’s son, Greg, for comment.
“I’m tired of covering it up,” Peralta is heard saying in a video released by the Roswell Police Department. “I’m tired of living with my life, sir,” he told the responding policeman, adding that guilt had driven him there.
“I killed someone,” he told a detective later in an interrogation room. “I killed him with a screwdriver.”
Roswell Police Department body camera video shows Tony Peralta confessing to the 2008 murder of his landlord on May 1, 2023.
In the recording, Peralta can be seen crying while discussing the details of the case with the authorities.
Blodgett’s son, Greg, reported her missing on January 3, 2009, after no one from his family could contact him for more than 10 days, according to police. Police investigated and learned that Blodgett had had a problem with his tenant, later identified as Peralta, around this time and tried to evict him, according to a police report cited in the criminal affidavit. A detective later interviewed Peralta, but “no new leads” emerged from the conversation, the affidavit said.
The authorities searched the house and the neighborhood, spoke to the neighbors and used a sniffer dog, but found nothing. Blodgett’s vehicle was still parked at the home and there were no withdrawals from his bank account, the affidavit says.
The police finally said that the case was not progressing and closed it. “All leads related to this case have been exhausted. This case will be closed pending further leads or information,” the police report cited in the affidavit reads.
In May, Peralta told authorities that he had taken some pills and been drinking before calling police and eventually making the confession. “I confess. I don’t want to live without confessing anymore,” Peralta says in the body camera recording.
“He was a good man and he didn’t deserve what I did,” Peralta told agents about Blodgett, according to the affidavit. “He was always good to me and I took his life for no reason.”
Peralta’s attorney, Ray Conley, did not offer a specific comment on the case, but told CNN via email that “Peralta was arraigned this week and entered a not guilty plea, as is customary at this stage of the process.”
Police video shows Peralta leading officers to the Roswell home where the crime allegedly occurred. Agents can be seen digging with shovels, though the image is a bit blurry. One of them is heard saying that “there is a shoe”.
The affidavit says authorities found several bones, including a skull.
Peralta resigned from the preliminary hearing of the case. He is expected to return to court on August 21 for a status hearing.
