‘I'm Tired of Living With My Lie’: New Mexico Man Racked With Guilt Admits to Landlord’s 2008 Murder, Body Cam Video Shows

A New Mexico man racked with guilt confessed to murdering his landlord in 2008, according to authorities.

According to the Roswell Police Department, Tony Ray Peralta, 37, spoke with police in early May and body cam footage of those interactions have been released, Newsweek reported.

On May 1, Peralta met an officer on a sidewalk in Roswell the day after he called police to confess to killing someone, Newsweek reported.

According to the body cam video, Peralta says, “I’m just tired of covering it up. I’m tired of living with my lie, sir.”

He confesses to killing his landlord, William Blodgett, who had been missing since December 23, 2008, and was last seen alive in Roswell.

Officers asked Peralta to take them to where he claims he buried Blodgett’s body. During the interaction, Peralta put his hands behind his back to be handcuffed and thanked the officers for coming to meet him, according to Newsweek.

Peralta was taken to the police station, where detectives asked him about the alleged crimes. He allegedly said he was “on meth really bad” and Blodgett “wouldn’t give me no money,” so he “buried him in his house,” authorities said.

Officers took Peralta to Blodgett's former home, where the two men lived when the victim disappeared. Police said Blodgett’s body “had been buried inside an attached room on the west side of the house.”

According to authorities, "Plywood floorboards were removed and excavation was begun, resulting in the discovery of the buried human remains, including many bones and a set of dentures. The dentures were compared with Blodgett's dental records, which had been obtained in 2009.”

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Those dental records helped police confirm the body found was Blodgett, who was 69 years old when he died.

During his talk with police, Peralta said, "He was always good to me. And I took his life for no reason. And I don't have an excuse."

On May 30, Peralta was arraigned and charged with first-degree murder, officials said. Despite his confession, he pleaded not guilty to the charge.