Chief Medina reacts to 45-year sentence of serial killer in three cold case homicides
The serial killer responsible for killing two teens and a young woman in the late 1980s has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. All three cases were investigated and solved by APD.
In 2021, Paul Apodaca, 55, confessed to killing 13 year-old Stella Gonzales, 18 year-old Kaitlyn Arquette and 21 year-old Althea Oakeley. For more than 30 years, all three cases had gone cold until Apodaca walked into the UNM Police Department and confessed to killing Oakeley. As APD investigators then began speaking with Apodaca, he confessed to the two other killings of Arquette and Gonzales.
Apodaca had no ties or connection to any of the victims but knew key details about each killing that led to him being charged with First Degree Murder in all three cases.
In 1988, Stella Gonzales was walking along Central near Tingley Beach when Apodaca drove up and shot her to death.
In 1988, Althea Oakeley was a UNM student walking home from a party when Apodaca stabbed her to death.
In 1989, Kaitlyn Arquette was driving near Lomas and Broadway when Apodaca pulled up next to her and shot her to death.
“These heinous crimes haunted three families for more than 30 years, leaving behind a wake of pain and suffering,” said Chief Harold Medina. “Growing up knowing Althea Oakeley’s family, I was able to share the news an arrest had been made, and it was evident there was still so much pain they were going through. I hope all the families can now move forward and find closure in a long awaited resolution to their nightmare.”
On January 25, Apodaca was sentenced to 45 years in the Department of Corrections and will also have to register on the Sex Offender Registry.
“Justice, though often slow, does not falter,” said Commander Kyle Hartsock. “The life sentence for a serial killer is a somber reminder that society upholds a beacon of hope and safety, affirming that such darkness will not go unpunished. It is a stark message that each life taken has value, and that their memories will be honored through the relentless pursuit of justice.”
###