Isaac Apodaca Trial: The Sword Murder of Grace Jennings — July 12, 2026 Fourth Day of Trial Update
Grace Jennings
July 14 to 15, 2026: Kiara Takes the Stand, the Defense Rests Without Calling a Single Witness, and a Verdict
Kiara McCulley Testifies
The moment the entire trial had been building toward arrived on Tuesday, July 14, when Kiara McCulley took the stand as the prosecution's star witness. Kiara, now 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in exchange for her testimony against Isaac. She spoke softly throughout her time on the stand, and when she was asked about Grace Jennings, she cast her eyes down.
Kiara told the jury that she and Grace had known each other since second grade. They met because Kiara was best friends with Grace's little sister. The two eventually dated for about eight months.
She met Isaac after she and Grace broke up. They had arranged to meet to see if they were going to get back together, and when Kiara arrived, Isaac was there. He walked her home that night. Grace was supposed to come by the next day in 2019 but never showed up, and that became Kiara's first date with Isaac. They were together for three and a half years.
When pointing out Isaac at the request of the prosecutor, Kiara pointed at Isaac and said he was wearing a really nice suit and a tie. He called her Puggle, which she explained means baby platypus. She called him Otter.
For most of their relationship, they lived in the main part of the house where Kiara’s Mom was, moving in and out of other locations over time. Eventually, Isaac told Kiara that her mother was not good for her and that they should get some space. And that’s when they moved into the detached garage.
Kiara told the jury about a time in 2022, that her Mom had previously spoken about on the stand. She said on that day, she had been debating things with Isaac and trying to figure things out, and it made him angry. According to Kiara, that’s when he attacked her, broke her thumb, and left her badly bruised. She spoke to police but did not follow through because she did not want to make his life harder. She wanted to make him happy so he would come back to her. They were back together within three weeks. Things were good for about a month, a honeymoon phase, and then the abuse started again.
Kiara was asked whether she had ever done sex work. She said yes. In 2020, while she and Isaac were living in an apartment with a friend of his, Isaac suggested she start. She told him she wanted to think about it. He told her he already had clients lined up. The clients would give her money and she would hand it directly to Isaac. "I'm not even sure why I gave him the money," she said. She said he spent it on model kits and whatever he wanted.
Isaac also convinced Kiara that he was an angel. He told her he was the Archangel Gabriel. She didn’t believe it at first, but then he started saying things about her that no one else knew. "Maybe a part of me wanted it to be real," she said. He also told her he had founded a secret organization called Ghost, a vigilante group that killed pedophiles, rapists, and drug addicts. He claimed to have already killed 40 people in the organization's name.
On the night of October 28, 2022, Isaac brought Grace to their home. Grace had been going through a breakup and needed somewhere to stay. Kiara testified that Isaac then pressured her to kill Grace, telling her it would allow her to rank up in Ghost. He handed Kiara the sword. "What did you take that to mean?" prosecutors asked. "It's time to do it, and I had no choice," Kiara answered. "He told me he would hurt my mom if I didn't do it."
Kiara said she closed her eyes and swung the sword. Isaac then began shouting, "Come on! Finish it! Finish it! Finish it!" before leaving the room. "I did. I finished the job," she said. "As he would reference it."
Under cross-examination, the defense challenged Kiara's memory and asked how much she had been drinking before the murder. Kiara also acknowledged that after her arrest she frequently saw Isaac in mirrors shortly after her arrest, though she maintained she knew he was not actually there.
Prosecutors have agreed to recommend a 30-year sentence for Kiara in exchange for her cooperation.
Dr. Michael Welner: Coercive Control
Following Kiara, the prosecution called Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist with 30 years of experience and board certifications in both psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. He has worked on hundreds of murder cases.
Dr. Welner was not asked to give his opinion on Isaac's guilt. He was asked specifically about the dynamics between Isaac and Kiara. He read through 15 hours of messages between the two and told the jury there is a clinical name for what Isaac was doing: coercive control. He walked the jury through how gaslighting works, pointed to the sex work as evidence the pattern of control was already well established, and identified the messages Isaac sent Kiara in the lead-up to the murder as calculated inducements designed to push her toward the killing.
The defense and Dr. Welner were notably testy with each other throughout cross-examination. The defense landed their core point: he had never met Isaac, never interviewed Kiara, and built his entire opinion from a file the prosecution gave him. Dr. Welner acknowledged all of that. The jury was left to weigh both things at once.
The Defense Rests Without Calling a Single Witness
In a significant decision, the defense chose not to call any witnesses. Isaac, whose decision about whether to testify had been uncertain throughout the trial, ultimately did not take the stand. The case went to the jury on the strength of the prosecution's evidence alone.
Closing Arguments
The prosecution framed Isaac as the architect of Grace's murder, a man who never touched the sword but built the killing through years of manipulation, coercion, and psychological control. The defense maintained that Kiara acted alone and that Isaac came upon the scene after the fact.
In a notable development, Judge T. Glenn Ellington granted the defense's request to allow the jury to consider second-degree murder as an alternative to first-degree, giving jurors a lesser option if they were not convinced of premeditation.
The Verdict: Guilty of First-Degree Murder
The jury deliberated for approximately two hours on Wednesday, July 15, including a stretch in the dark after a widespread power outage struck the Santa Fe courthouse. When the lights came back on, so did the verdict.
Isaac Apodaca was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Grace Jennings. Isaac stood quietly as he received the verdict.
The jury rejected the second-degree option entirely.
A first-degree murder conviction in New Mexico carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for August.
July 14, 2026 — Day 4: Jail Interviews, Phone Calls, a Juror Replacement, and the Prosecution Rests
A Juror Replacement Before Testimony Began
The day got off to an unexpected start when another juror was observed nodding off in the box. Unlike the confusion from Friday, this situation had a clear explanation: the juror had been in a car accident the evening before and had not slept. Both the prosecution and defense agreed that the fairest course of action was to replace the juror with an alternate, and the judge did exactly that. Court then proceeded.
Sergeant Javier Vigil: The Day's Only Witness
Sergeant Javier Vigil of the Santa Fe Police Department was the sole witness of the day, but his testimony covered a significant amount of ground. Through Sergeant Vigil, the prosecution introduced recordings of interviews conducted with Isaac after the murder, as well as recorded phone calls between Isaac and his mother while he was in custody. Much of the day's testimony came directly from those recordings rather than from live questioning, and there were no major bombshells. The recordings largely spoke for themselves.
Isaac Attempts to Call His Mother Eight Times
The day ended with a serious development. Despite the court order prohibiting Isaac from contacting his mother, the prosecution informed the judge that Isaac had attempted to call her eight times after the order was in place. None of the calls were answered.
The defense pushed back, with their client adamant that he had not made the calls. However, the jail's phone system requires anyone placing a call to say "United States of America" before the call connects, as a voice identification step. The recordings were played in court, and the voice on the tapes was consistent with Isaac's.
The matter was discussed privately with the judge. Whatever was said, the outcome was clear. The judge instructed the prosecution to draft an order placing Isaac in administrative segregation for the remainder of the trial, which suggests he found sufficient reason to believe the calls came from Isaac.
What's Next
Court resumes Tuesday morning. Sergeant Vigil will return to the stand first for cross-examination by the defense. After that, Kiara McCulley is expected to take the stand, and the defense has indicated their cross-examination of her will be lengthy.
July 10, 2026 — Day 3: Medical Examiner, Forensic Scientists, and a Phone Privilege Controversy
New to this case? Catch up with our full episode before reading: The Murder of Grace Jennings — YouTube
Isaac's Phone Calls and a Courtroom Concern
Before testimony began, the prosecution raised a significant concern with the court. Isaac has been making calls to his mother from jail during the trial — despite the fact that she had been instructed not to discuss the case with anyone. The prosecution noted that the calls appeared to be about evidence and trial-related matters.
The prosecution also revealed that Isaac's mother had been using oil to make cross marks on the building outside the courthouse. The judge addressed this directly, noting that while he was not particularly concerned about the ritual itself — "people have burnt sage and everything else" — his concern was whether any jurors had witnessed it. He indicated that as long as the jury had not seen it, he would not take action.
Prosecution had been expected to enter an order suspending Isaac's phone privileges during the trial. The court also addressed whether text messages and tablet messages between Isaac and his mother should be included in the scope of that restriction.
Dr. Emily Helmrich — Medical Examiner
The first witness of the day was Dr. Emily Helmrich, a medical examiner. Dr. Helmrich testified about Grace Jennings' physical condition, noting that Grace was approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed around 111 pounds at the time of her death.
Jeffrey Smith — Forensic Scientist
Following Dr. Helmrich, forensic scientist Jeffrey Smith took the stand.
Roslynd Archuleta — Forensic Scientist
Next up was forensic scientist Roslynd Archuleta. Her testimony produced one of the more unusual moments of the trial so far: a juror appeared to fall asleep during her testimony, prompting the judge to pause and ask the witness to clarify what she had been testifying about.
The situation became more complicated when a second juror was brought in for questioning about the same issue. That juror — a woman — pushed back, telling the judge she had not been asleep and asking what made him think she was. Once back in the jury room, it was then clarified that the defense had flagged a concern about her sleeping from earlier in the week, which had created confusion. The judge had inadvertently questioned her saying it was from today when it was actually earlier in the week.
Ryan Romero — Police Officer
Officer Ryan Romero testified about the extraction of cell phone data. He used Cellebrite, a forensic tool widely used by law enforcement to extract and analyze digital evidence from mobile devices. Officer Romero confirmed he was certified to use the technology.
Jared Alire — Police Detective
Detective Jared Alire followed Officer Romero on the stand. He testified that he also assisted in extracting data from three cell phones as part of the investigation.
What's Ahead
At the close of the day, Isaac was reminded by the court that he is not permitted to communicate with anyone — by phone, messaging, or through any third parties — from the jail to a witness.
Court resumes Monday. Attorneys are expected at the courthouse by 8:15 AM. Three witnesses are expected to be the most substantial of the coming week: a sergeant whose recorded interview with Isaac (this part wasn’t clear, so this could be wrong) and that interview being played for the jury would be about 2 ½ hours on it’s own, as well as testimony from Kiara McCulley — with the defense indicating their cross-examination of Kiara will be lengthy — as well as an unnamed doctor.The trial is expected to run into Wednesday at minimum.
July 9, 2026 — Day 2 (Morning): Kiara's Mother Takes the Stand
New to this case? Catch up with our full episode before reading: The Murder of Grace Jennings — YouTube
The first witness of Day 2 was Lani McCulley, Kiara's mother. Her testimony painted a picture of a daughter who was isolated, had not completed high school, and was incredibly dependent on Isaac Apodaca.
Lani testified that Kiara only completed a 9th grade education (but began 10th grade) and had held exactly one job in her life which only lasted for about a month before she was let go. Isaac paid for Kiara's phone; Lani paid for everything else. She said she eventually discovered that Isaac was prostituting Kiara after a man showed up on their property and Kiara explained who he was.
One of the more striking moments came when Lani described April 4, 2022, months before Grace's murder, when she had to take Kiara to the emergency room. Kiara was bruised from head to toe and had a broken thumb. They filed a police report at the hospital. When asked whether she dropped the charges against Isaac, Lani said no, but when police followed up, Kiara didn't answer because Isaac was present. Lani said their relationship changed after that point.
On the night of October 28, Lani noticed something was off. Kiara never came into the main house, unusual, she explained, because Kiara always had to come inside to use the bathroom. Isaac was the one who made dinner that night, which was also unusual. He told Lani that Kiara wasn't feeling well, brought food out to the garage, then came back saying there wasn't enough, so Lani made more and brought it out herself. When she got to the garage door, Isaac answered. She said she saw no one else inside.
The sword came up next. Lani testified that a package arrived on October 27, the day before the murder, and that Kiara opened it in front of her. It was the 36-inch sword purchased on Kiara's Amazon account. Lani said she didn't know who paid for it. She noted that the whole family handled the sword, including herself, who had experience with them from a medieval reenactment group she used to belong to.
After the murder, Lani said Kiara took an unusually long shower, about half an hour. She seemed relatively normal, but Lani noticed she was leaving with washcloths, which struck her as strange. Shortly after, Kiara ran back to the house from the garage. That's when police arrived. Lani said her initial reaction was that they were there looking for Isaac.
Testimony was interrupted multiple times by sidebars. At one point, Lani began to say that her daughter had been sexually assaulted before the defense called for a sidebar and the jury was instructed to disregard a separate comment about Isaac prostituting Kiara.
Cross-examination of Lani was contentious from the start. Defense attorney Jay Nair pressed her repeatedly on how well she knew her daughter, suggesting she was unaware of Kiara's jealousy toward Grace, unaware of the full nature of Isaac's "modeling" hobby, and unaware of who the first aggressor was in the April 2022 incident. Each time he implied she didn't know her daughter, Lani pushed back hard. "I know my daughter very well, thank you very much." When he repeated the line later, she fired back: "I know a lot about my daughter, but it's been four years."
On the night of the murder, Lani said she heard no screaming or noises from the garage, explaining there are 27 feet between the garage door and her bedroom and that someone could scream at the top of their lungs and she wouldn't hear it. When asked how she knew the exact distance, she said she's been working on putting in a pergola.
When the defense asked whether she wanted what was best for her daughter, Lani's answer was pointed: "I want what's best for me right now." She also revealed that when she tried to evict Isaac from the garage, Kiara threatened to go live on the street with him rather than let him go.
On redirect, prosecutors confirmed the modeling hobby belonged to Isaac. Lani said she didn't know where he got the money to fund it.
Lani was released but may be called back for rebuttal. Before breaking for lunch, the defense's first piece of evidence was admitted, and a second witness, Detective Brandon Deets, briefly took the stand. His body camera was working the day of the incident. The jury watched silent footage of Isaac and Kiara being processed at the police station. On cross, the defense asked Deets to identify "significant scratching" on Isaac in the photos. He acknowledged he couldn't tell if one mark was a scratch or a stretch mark.
Court then broke for lunch after an unexpected development: a juror indicated he may recognize Lani McCulley from a club at New Mexico Tech in 2017 or 2018, and said he recognized not just her face, but her attitude. He was instructed not to discuss it with other jurors pending a ruling.
July 9, 2026- (Afternoon): Crime Scene Evidence Enters the Record
After lunch, the prosecution called Officer Maria Tena of the Santa Fe Police Department. Her testimony centered on the collection and chain of custody of physical evidence from the crime scene, a procedural but significant portion of the trial, as it formally introduces the physical evidence the jury will consider during deliberations.
Among the items entered into evidence were photographs taken inside the home, a wet shirt, a sweater, and a black pair of pants. The pants were not opened in court, as they contain biological evidence. Officer Tena walked the jury through what chain of custody means and how it was maintained throughout the investigation.
One detail stood out: a piece of carpet had been placed in the washing machine. Officers removed it and Tena noted it appeared to have no visible staining. There was no clothing in the washing machine at the time.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent with Officer Tena presenting crime scene photographs to the jury and the gallery. What became clear from the images was the severity of the violence Grace Jennings endured. Trial continues Friday, July 10.
July 8, 2026 — Day 1: Opening Statements
New to this case? Catch up with our full episode before reading: The Murder of Grace Jennings — YouTube
Opening statements in the Isaac Apodaca trial began Tuesday in Santa Fe, and prosecutors wasted no time establishing their theory: Isaac Apodaca did not swing the sword, but he built the circumstances that made Grace Jennings' death inevitable.
The prosecution opened with a text message Isaac sent to Kiara: "Just waiting for you to make the first move. I'm just saying 'swing and don't regret the aim.'" Their central argument is that Isaac is "the architect of Grace's murder" not the killer, but the person who engineered it.
Prosecutors described Kiara McCulley as gullible and easily manipulated, someone Isaac had groomed for years. He had convinced her she was a member of a secret vigilante group called "Ghost," and that Grace Jennings was on a kill list. Killing Grace, Kiara believed, would earn her a higher rank in the organization. Isaac also encouraged Kiara to do sex work and kept the money, including after she was assaulted by a client.
On the night of October 28, 2022, Grace reached out to Isaac on Instagram looking for a place to stay. Isaac knew Kiara despised Grace — they had previously dated — but invited her anyway. Grace arrived at 11:30 PM. All three of them slept in the same bed in the detached garage while Isaac and Kiara texted each other throughout the night, discussing weapons and what was about to happen. Isaac used the nicknames "Otter" for himself and "Puggle" for Kiara.
Isaac then devised what he called "Operation Fake Kick-Out" which was a plan to create an opportunity for Kiara to kill Grace. He left the garage, went into the main house where Kiara's mother was, helped her wash a rug, and used the bathroom. When he returned, Grace was dead or dying. He told Kiara to shower, which she did — she even passed her mother in the hallway on the way. Her clothes went into the laundry hamper.
While Kiara was in the shower, Isaac Googled "how to dispose of a dead body." He then left the property and called his mother. His mother called 911. Isaac was at a cellular store when officers arrived at 1:52 PM. The garage where Grace's body was found was described as covered in trash, urine bottles, and cats. The murder weapon was a 36-inch sword.
The defense pushed back, arguing the jury will see a great deal of evidence, but none of it will prove Isaac Apodaca murdered Grace Jennings. Defense attorney Jay Nair acknowledged that some of Isaac's statements were "not the best" and may have been manipulated, but emphasized that Isaac was cooperative, did not flee, and went to a cellular store to wait for police, which was behavior, he argued, inconsistent with a killer.
Eight witnesses were called on Day 1, including a 911 dispatcher, a friend of Kiara's who testified that Kiara had expressed wanting to stab Grace roughly a year before the murder, and several Santa Fe police officers who responded to the scene. Body cam footage from the day of the arrest was shown to the jury. Isaac's mother, Linda Montoya, also took the stand — arriving with a portable oxygen tank — and identified her son with a wave and a smile.
Court recessed at the end of the day. Day 2 continues Wednesday, July 9.
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June 30, 2026 Update: Jury Selection Begins — Trial Starts Next Week
Jury selection officially kicked off Tuesday in Santa Fe, and the trial is now set to begin next week.
Court officials called two panels of 70 potential jurors. Attorneys on both sides spent the day questioning the pool on everything from anxiety and aversion to gore, to their relationships with police and lawyers, to how they process information about someone's character.
Defense attorney Jay Nair had one of the more memorable moments of the day. He posed a hypothetical: imagine a jurisdiction where playing rap or country was illegal, and the suspects happened to be Jay-Z and Garth Brooks …would you assume they were guilty just because of who they are? The question was his way of trying to decipher whether jurors could set aside what they know about a person's reputation when evaluating the evidence. Given that the judge already ruled prosecutors can introduce Isaac's prior bad acts, this is clearly the defense's biggest concern heading into trial.
The prosecution's theory remains the same: Isaac used text messages and psychological control to convince Kiara McCulley to kill Grace Jennings with a three-foot sword in 2022. Kiara has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is expected to be the state's star witness. The defense will argue she acted on her own and that the case leans too heavily on a deeply unreliable narrator.
Opening statements are expected next week. (Source: Santa Fe New Mexican)
We will keep updating this page as the trial moves forward.
June 12, 2026 Update:
The trial is getting closer, and a big pretrial ruling just came down that could shape how the jury sees Isaac from the very start.
On June 11, 2026, Judge T. Glenn Ellington ruled that prosecutors can introduce evidence of Isaac's prior bad acts at trial. That includes two things: a domestic violence incident involving Kiara McCulley, and evidence that Isaac allegedly benefited financially from Kiara performing sex work.
The domestic violence piece is pretty striking. In April 2022, just months before Grace Jennings was killed, Isaac allegedly beat Kiara so badly that she described it to police as "Hulk smash." She told officers he left her with softball-sized bruises from head to foot. Police charged him with several crimes at the time, but Kiara later called the District Attorney's office and said she wanted the case dropped. Prosecutors say that phone call is itself evidence of how much control Isaac had over her. She was already protecting him even after he put her in the hospital.
The sex work evidence ties into the prosecution's broader theory that Isaac exploited Kiara financially and psychologically. They allege he benefited from money she earned through sex work, which they argue is part of the same pattern of control and coercion that ultimately led to Grace's death.
The defense hasn't publicly responded to the ruling yet. Isaac's attorney, Jay Nair, has consistently argued that Kiara acted on her own and that the state's case leans too heavily on a witness who is deeply unreliable.
This ruling matters because the prosecution's entire case is built on coercion. They need the jury to believe Isaac had a documented pattern of controlling Kiara, not just a few bad text messages. The prior bad acts evidence gives them a way to show the jury who Isaac allegedly was behind closed doors, long before Grace ever walked into that garage.
Trial is still expected to begin near the end of the month. We will keep updating this page as things move forward.
March 24, 2026 Update:
Isaac Apodaca is charged with murder in the 2022 killing of 21-year-old Grace Jennings. Prosecutors say he convinced his then-girlfriend, Kiara McCulley, to do it using a 3-foot sword, and they have text messages between the two to back that up. Kiara took a plea deal about a year ago, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for 30 years and an agreement to testify against Isaac at trial.
Here's where things stand now. Isaac's defense attorney, Jay Nair, filed a motion asking the judge to throw out the case entirely. His argument is that prosecutors waited way too long to disclose a key witness, so long that Jay hadn't been able to interview the witness before trial. The witness also no-showed a scheduled pretrial interview, which didn't help. Jay argued the late disclosure was prejudicial enough to warrant dismissal and initially pushed to have any resulting delay counted against the state for speedy trial purposes.
Before the judge could even hold a hearing on that issue, the trial got postponed for a completely different reason: Jay's wife went into labor. The trial had been set to start March 12 and is now pushed to June 2026. Judge T. Glenn Ellington ruled that this delay gets counted against the defense, not the state.
As of the article, the mystery witness had been arrested on a material witness warrant and was being brought to Santa Fe for a pretrial interview. The motion to dismiss over the late disclosure still hasn't been ruled on, so that's the big thing to watch when everything picks back up in June.
Quick Summary
In the quiet city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, a case of shocking brutality and alleged manipulation is set to unfold in the courtroom. In February 2026, Isaac Apodaca will stand trial for his role in the gruesome 2022 sword murder of 21-year-old Grace Jennings. The case involves a complex love triangle, claims of a secret organization, and a girlfriend who has already pleaded guilty to the murder, claiming she was coerced.
This post breaks down everything you need to know before the trial begins. We will be updating this page daily with news and analysis from the courtroom, and we'll be covering the full story on the podcast once the trial concludes. Follow Moms and Mysteries on social media for the latest updates.
Who's Who in the Isaac Apodaca Trial
•Isaac Apodaca: The Defendant. Charged with coercion, accused of manipulating his girlfriend into committing the murder.
•Kiara McCulley: Isaac's girlfriend. Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will testify against him.
•Grace Jennings: The Victim. A 21-year-old woman who was found nearly decapitated with a sword.
What Sentence Did Kiara McCulley Receive?
Kiara McCulley was sentenced to 30 years in prison as part of her plea deal. Kiara McCulley pleaded guilty to aggravated second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in February 2025. As part of her plea agreement, she was sentenced to 30 years in prison in exchange for her agreement to testify truthfully against Isaac Apodaca at trial. Her sentence includes 20 years for the murder charge and 15 years for conspiracy, with the sentences running concurrently. Because the murder is classified as a serious violent offense in New Mexico, she must serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before she is eligible for release. If she fails to testify truthfully, prosecutors can withdraw the plea deal and charge her with first-degree murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
Has Isaac Apodaca been sentenced?
No. Isaac Apodaca has not been sentenced. His trial began in July 2026. This page will be updated with the verdict and any sentencing as they happen.
Who Was Grace Jennings?
Grace Jennings was 21 years old when she was killed on October 29, 2022. She grew up in Santa Fe and was described by family and friends as warm, creative, and full of life. She had previously been in a romantic relationship with both Isaac Apodaca and Kiara McCulley before the three became entangled in the events that led to her death. Her family has said she was "just a beautiful soul." Grace never got the chance to know what was coming.
The Crime: A Grisly Discovery on Jaguar Drive
On the afternoon of October 29, 2022, Santa Fe police were called to a residence on the 5000 block of Jaguar Drive. The call was made by Isaac Apodaca's mother, who reported that her son had found his girlfriend killing another woman . Isaac himself also reported the homicide from a nearby wireless store.
When officers arrived, they discovered a horrific scene in the detached garage where Isaac and Kiara lived. The body of Grace Jennings was found with injuries consistent with being stabbed by a sharp object, including what appeared to be an attempt to decapitate her. Inside the garage, police also found a bloody, three-foot-long metal sword .
The Investigation: A Tangled Web of Texts and Coercion
The investigation quickly focused on the complex relationship between the three individuals. Both Isaac and Kiara had been romantically involved with Grace before they began dating each other. According to Isaac, the three had spent the night together in the same bed just before the murder .
The most damning evidence came from Isaac's own cellphone. A search revealed text messages between him and Kiara from the night before and the morning of the murder. In these messages, they appeared to conspire to kill Grace as she slept, even discussing how they would use hydrogen peroxide to clean up the mess .
In one chilling message, Isaac wrote to Kiara: "I am wanting you to kill her, you have to end your suffering by ending her joy." When questioned by police, Isaac admitted he meant what he wrote and that he wanted Kiara to kill Grace .
Kiara's statements to police added another bizarre layer to the case. She claimed Isaac was the leader of a secret organization called "Ghost," which allegedly targeted people who committed sex crimes or hurt children. She said Isaac told her she would rise in the organization's ranks if she killed Grace . Police have stated they have no knowledge of such an organization and are investigating the claims.
Kiara also told investigators she could not remember a period of time on the morning of the murder, attributing this to what she described as an undiagnosed multiple personality disorder. She said she was "partially hopeful" Grace was dead but could not remember what happened to her .
The Guilty Plea: A Key Witness Emerges
In a major development in February 2025, Kiara McCulley pleaded guilty to aggravated second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. As part of the plea agreement, she will be sentenced to 30 years in prison, but only after she provides truthful testimony against Isaac at his trial .
The plea deal requires Kiara to cooperate fully with prosecutors. If she fails to testify truthfully, the state can withdraw the plea deal and try her on the original first-degree murder charge, which carries a potential life sentence .
Kiara's sentence includes 20 years for the murder charge (with aggravating factors including the use of a sword, the brutality of the killing, and the high number of stab wounds) and 15 years for conspiracy. Because the murder charge is classified as a serious violent offense, she must serve at least 85 percent of that sentence .
This makes Kiara the prosecution's star witness. Her testimony will be crucial in determining whether a jury believes Isaac was the mastermind behind the murder.
What Are the Charges Against Isaac Apodaca?
Isaac Apodaca is charged with coercion. Prosecutors allege that he manipulated and pressured Kiara into killing Grace. While Kiara wielded the sword, the state's case is built on the theory that Isaac was the driving force behind the murder, using psychological manipulation and promises of advancement in a fictitious organization to convince her to commit the act .
What to Expect at Trial
Isaac Apodaca's trial is scheduled to begin in February 2026. The prosecution's case will likely hinge on the text messages and the testimony of Kiara McCulley, painting Isaac as a manipulative figure who coerced his girlfriend into committing a brutal murder. The defense, in turn, will likely attempt to discredit Kiara, portraying her as an unreliable narrator and the sole party responsible for the violence.
Key questions the jury will need to answer include:
•Did Isaac coerce Kiara into killing Grace, or was Kiara acting independently?
•How credible is Kiara's testimony, given her claims of memory loss and multiple personality disorder?
•What role, if any, did the alleged "Ghost" organization play in the murder?
The trial is expected to last several weeks and has been listed as one of Court TV's most anticipated trials of 2026 .
Why This Case Matters
The Isaac Apodaca trial raises important questions about coercion, manipulation, and criminal responsibility. If convicted, it would affirm that someone can be held accountable for a murder they did not physically commit if they psychologically manipulated another person into carrying it out.
The case also highlights the complexities of toxic relationships and the devastating consequences they can have. The love triangle between Isaac, Kiara, and Grace ultimately ended in a young woman's death and two others facing decades in prison. This case, with its themes of manipulation and a deadly love triangle, echoes other tragic stories of romantic entanglements gone wrong, such as the jealousy-driven murder of Moriah Wilson.
This is a developing story. We will be updating this post daily with the latest from the courtroom. Don't miss a single update—follow Moms and Mysteries on social media for real-time news, and subscribe to the podcast to hear our full trial coverage episode once the verdict is in.
