What happened to Enoch Apodaca and Melissa Martinez? Officials identify couple who died in Colorado Jehovah’s Witness Hall murder-suicide

Two people were found dead on December 25, 2022, outside a Jehovah’s Witnesses hall in an apparent murder-suicide. They have now been identified as former congregants Enoch Apodaca and his wife, Melissa Susanna Martinez.

On Wednesday, December 28, the Office of the Coroner of Adams and Broomfield Counties identified the bodies of married couple Enoch Noah Apodaca, 46, and his wife Melissa Susanna Martinez, 44. The pair were found dead outside the Kingdom Hall building. The duo were reportedly ousted from the congregation.

Authorities said that Enoch Apodaca shot his wife before turning the gun on himself. Apodaca also placed three explosive devices inside the Jehovah’s Witness Hall before killing his wife and himself. Police said that none of the bombs detonated at the scene.

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Enoch Apodaca bombed a union building minutes before he killed his wife outside the Jehovah’s Witness Hall

Enoch Apodaca, on the day he killed his wife and then shot himself to death, reportedly bombed the local union office at the IBEW Local Union 68 building.

Witnesses said that Apodaca, a belligerent employee who had issues with his employer, walked into the union building in the early hours of Christmas Day with a bucket and walked out shortly before the building exploded. Officials said that no one was in the building during the time of the attack.

Shortly after, Apodaca and his wife Melissa Susanna Martinez, former congregants of the Jehovah’s Witness Hall, backed up their pick-up truck into the centre's window. They smashed it with a hammer and inserted three explosive devices into the hall occupied by two people.

The two individuals inside the hall reportedly dealt with the flames that erupted from one of the devices with a fire extinguisher, thus rendering the other two devices to malfunction at the scene. Apodaca then shot his wife in the back of the head at the scene. The Thornton Police Department said:

“Enoch then approached Melissa, who had exited the truck, and shot her in the back of the head with a shotgun. Enoch then shot himself with the same shotgun.”

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Officials outline potential motive for the crimes of Enoch Apodaca

Authorities purported that Enoch Apodaca was possibly impelled by personal issues against the employer and the Kingdom hall that ousted him and his wife from the congregation.

As per CBS, Enoch Apodaca had a history of threatening people with violence. He reportedly wrote a seemingly violent letter stating to kill his wife and a union representative after losing his job as an electrician last year.

The employer of the company reportedly filed a protection order against Apodaca after receiving a letter that said that he would harm the people responsible for losing his job at the company.

Apodaca was not arrested for the incident despite overwhelming evidence indicating violent outbursts against his wife and his employers.