In 911 call, Roswell man confesses to 2008 murder

ROSWELL, N.M. — A call to 911 in Roswell came with a shocking confession. Police say Tony Peralta borrowed a phone at a Roswell Allsups to confess to the 2008 murder of William Blodgett.

“Sir, tell me exactly what happened.”

Peralta: “Well, I killed somebody.”

“You killed somebody?”

Peralta: “Yes, sir.”

Blodgett was first reported missing in January 2009. According to police documents, the last anyone had heard from him was on Christmas Eve in 2008. At the time, the disappearance baffled his neighbors.

At the time of his disappearance, Peralta was Blodgett’s tenant. He lived in an apartment in the front of Blodgett’s house.

Family members told police Blodgett had accused Peralta of stealing his wallet and was trying to get him evicted. Police said they interviewed Peralta, but that turned up no leads. They also had a cadaver dog go around Blodgett’s house, but didn’t find anything.

“OK, I have help coming right now. Where’s the person that you killed?”

Peralta: “They’re buried in his house.”

Police said Peralta was able to direct them to Blodgett’s body under the floor of an attachment on the west side of the house.

Peralta told police he decided to confess because “his heart hurts.” He told police to tell Blodgett’s family, “He was a good man and that he didn’t deserve what I did.”

UPDATE (5/9/2023): Peralta waved his preliminary exam. His next hearing date is TBA.