The murder of Kaitlyn Arquette
Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico · 1989
Overview
Kaitlyn Arquette, 18, was driving home from a friend's house in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the night of July 16, 1989, when she was shot in the head on Lomas near Arno. Her car hit a pole, and she died the next day. Police believed the shooting was random. Her mother, the young-adult novelist Lois Duncan, investigated on her own, wrote the 1992 book Who Killed My Daughter?, and died in 2016 without an answer. In July 2021 a University of New Mexico security guard found a man outside UNM Children's Hospital who said he wanted to confess to three murders. University police arrested Paul Apodaca on a probation violation on July 20, 2021. He first admitted killing a UNM student, Althea Oakeley, in 1988, then, in interviews with Albuquerque detectives, the 1988 killing of 13-year-old Stella Gonzales and the 1989 killing of Kaitlyn Arquette. Police said he had no known connection to the victims but knew key details of each killing. A grand jury had indicted him in Arquette's death by February 2022. In November 2023 a judge refused to suppress his confessions. In January 2024 he pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
How it was solved
This case was solved by a confession, not by new forensic work. For 32 years nobody was charged. Police believed the shooting was random; her mother, Lois Duncan, disagreed, talked to Kaitlyn's friends, hired a private detective and wrote Who Killed My Daughter? (1992), but died in 2016 with the case unsolved. Oxygen reported in 2021 that Paul Apodaca was at the scene when officers arrived and was not questioned. In 2020, while jailed for assaulting a police officer, Apodaca later told detectives, he read Duncan's book. In July 2021 a UNM security guard found him outside UNM Children's Hospital; the Albuquerque Journal reported that he told the guard he wanted to confess to three murders and asked for police. University police called the Albuquerque Police Department's cold case unit, and a detective read him his rights on lapel video, according to testimony reported by KRQE. He first admitted killing UNM student Althea Oakeley in 1988; after questioning by detectives he admitted killing 13-year-old Stella Gonzales in 1988 and Kaitlyn Arquette in 1989. The City of Albuquerque said he had no ties to the victims but knew key details of each killing. Prosecutors charged him case by case: Oakeley in August 2021, Gonzales in December 2021, Arquette by February 2022. His lawyers moved to suppress the statements, arguing he needed medical treatment and was deprived of his rights; in November 2023 Judge Cindy Leos denied the motion, finding that he repeatedly admitted the killings without prompting from officers. Before trial he pleaded guilty in January 2024 and was sentenced on January 25, 2024.
Sources
- Plea deal resolves decades-old unsolved murders of three women (January 26, 2024)
“When the guard asked Apodaca if he was OK, Apodaca replied that he wanted to confess to three murders and asked for police.”
- Judge rejects request to toss confessions in three cold case killings (November 15, 2023)
“In this case, Apodaca repeatedly admitted to killing three women without prompting from officers, Leos wrote.”
- Accused Serial Killer Charged With 1989 Murder Of Author Lois Duncan's Daughter (February 23, 2022)
“On Monday, a grand jury indicted Apodaca for the murder of Kaitlyn Arquette, 18, according to the Albuquerque outlet.”
- Albuquerque Sex Offender Confesses To Killing Author Lois Duncan's Daughter (August 26, 2021)
“How obvious did it need to be to look into this guy?”
- Famed Author's Book About Her Daughter's Murder Prompts Killer to Come Forward
“It's not so much about relieving myself of that as it is to bring closure to the people I've harmed.”
- Suspected serial killer indicted in 1989 murder of Albuquerque teen
“Then on Monday, he was indicted for the death of Arquette.”
- Judge to rule if accused Albuquerque serial killer confession will be thrown out
“In a motion to suppress evidence, defense attorneys argued Apodaca was in need of medical treatment and deprived of rights.”
- Chief Medina reacts to 45-year sentence of serial killer in three cold case homicides
“These heinous crimes haunted three families for more than 30 years, leaving behind a wake of pain and suffering.”
- 'I hope you go to hell': Mother of one of three murdered female victims curses confessed killer at his sentencing (January 2024)
“I apologize with all my heart for the pain I've caused.”
- City Desk ABQ report on the Apodaca guilty pleas and sentence (January 25, 2024, updated April 20, 2025)
“was sentenced to 62 years within the New Mexico Department of Corrections, with an incarceration term of 45 years”
- More Than 30 Years On, Suspect Confesses To Murder of Lois Duncan's Daughter (August 26, 2021)
“Duncan died in the summer of 2016, the case unsolved.”
- Kaitlyn Arquette
“Duncan conducted her own investigations, which included talking to her daughter's friends, and visiting a psychic.”