At a glance
- Location: Clovis, New Mexico
- Case period: December 2025
- Victims: A middle-aged husband and wife, found shot inside their home
- Critical clue: Text messages and photos about firearms that investigators say contradicted a key witness’s story
The garage door was open. So was the front door. Neither should have been, according to the young man who called 911 that morning to report a possible burglary. What Clovis police found instead, after knocking, announcing themselves, and finally getting someone to come to the door, would take weeks of interviews, search warrants and forensic testing to sort out — and even then, the full picture didn’t come together right away.
A 911 Call Before Dawn
It was before 5 a.m. on December 15, 2025, when Clovis officers were dispatched to a home after a 911 call reporting a burglary in progress. Body camera and radio traffic captured officers arriving to find the garage door standing open. Officers repeatedly ordered anyone inside to come out with their hands up. According to police recordings, no one responded for a stretch of tense minutes before a young man finally appeared at the door.
Doors That Shouldn’t Have Been Open
That young man was identified as Darren Munoz, 19, the son of homeowner Oscar Munoz. Darren told the responding officer he had “just woken up” and that his father and stepmother, Dena Munoz, were asleep. Officers noted that the front door and garage door were open, which Darren said was unusual. As officers moved deeper into the house to check on the family, they found a pool of blood. Radio traffic captured an officer requesting units “step it up,” describing what appeared to be a possible gunshot wound to a male and a female inside.
Oscar Munoz, 58, and his wife Dena were found with gunshot injuries in the home, according to police. Officers cleared the residence room by room before medical personnel were brought in.
“I Just Got Up”: Darren Munoz’s Account
At the scene and later at the police station, Darren gave investigators an account of the weekend: his parents, he said, had been out of town and returned that Sunday. He said he had been home alone. When detectives asked about firearms in the house, Darren told them he wasn’t “a gun person” and said he had never fired a weapon, according to recorded interview footage.
A Witness, Not Yet a Suspect
In those early hours, Darren Munoz was not under arrest. He was detained briefly at the scene, driven to the station, and interviewed as the person who had discovered his parents and placed the 911 call — standard procedure for anyone connected to a shooting scene. Investigators collected DNA swabs, took his clothing into evidence, and photographed him in a white protective suit while his own clothes were sent for testing.
For a time, the case against him existed only in pieces: an open garage door, inconsistent statements, and forensic evidence still being processed at the lab. Nothing yet tied him directly to the shooting itself. That gap between suspicion and proof would only close as detectives worked through phone records, messages and interviews with people close to Darren and his friend, 19-year-old Julio Zamora.
Digging Into Phones and Friendships
Investigators said they later recovered messages and photos exchanged between Darren and Julio Zamora that discussed firearms in detail, including references to an AR-15, a Glock and what one message called a “ghost Glock.” In one exchange reviewed by detectives, the two discussed whether a gun was “clean” and talked about trading firearms — details that stood in contrast to Darren’s claim that he wasn’t familiar with guns.
Girlfriends Break the Silence
Detectives interviewed young women connected to both Darren and Julio. One told investigators that Darren “wanted them gone” and that Julio had offered to do it for money. Another described overhearing Darren talk about alternative ways to hurt his father, including tampering with his truck’s brakes, and floating the idea that a friend identified as Vincent could carry out a “silent death” while his father slept.
“He’s always just been like a big care bear to me,” one of the young women told investigators, describing her surprise at the accusations.
Julio Zamora Talks
Police took Julio Zamora into custody and read him his rights before questioning him. He initially gave detectives a detailed account of his whereabouts that weekend, including buying doughnuts and milk for his father in the early morning hours. When confronted with what detectives said other witnesses had already told them, Zamora’s story shifted. He acknowledged that Darren had approached him about killing his parents in exchange for money, which he said he refused. He also told investigators he had purchased 9mm ammunition around the same time and that Darren had asked about obtaining a silencer.
As the interview continued, Zamora described entering the home through the open garage door and standing inside for several minutes before anything happened, saying he considered walking away. He told detectives Darren had threatened him if he didn’t go through with it. A firearm recovered from the vehicle Zamora was in at the time of his arrest was identified in the interview as the one used that morning.
Where the Case Stands Today
Darren Munoz has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation of murder, and two counts of first-degree murder. Julio Zamora faces two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Both men have pleaded not guilty. According to court records, Zamora’s trial is scheduled for June 2027, while Munoz is set to go to trial in January 2027. The case remains pending, and investigators have not publicly identified any additional suspects beyond the two men currently charged.
