A Peoria man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the death of a Mapleton woman.
Nathaniel Archuleta reached a plea agreement with prosecutors on Monday over the killing of his then-girlfriend Mary Halcomb. He is eligible for time served in custody between September 2024 and July, and will serve 100 percent of his sentence.
Archuleta Told Officers Halcomb was Playing with a Gun When it Went Off, Then Said He was Cleaning the Gun When it Discharged
On Sept. 6. 2024, Halcomb was found dead lying in a pool of blood on a stairwell landing, with a gun in her hand in the 1400 block of South Griswold shot to death. She suffered a single gunshot wound to her neck and was pronounced deceased.
He originally told officers that she was playing with a gun, but then changed his story, saying he was cleaning it when it went off, but no gun cleaning supplies were found inside the home.
Investigators Found a Suicide Note in the Bedroom that Read 'Nathaniel Archuleta Has Every Right to Euthanize Me'
In the downstairs bedroom was a post-it note that read, "I, Mary Elyce Halcomb, promise to never break Nathanial Archuleta's heart, and if I do, Nathaniel Archuleta has every right to euthanize me, vice versa, I love you," the state's attorney's ofice said.
The state's attorney's office said evidence was discovered that was inconsistent with a suicide, including a blood trail from a downstairs bedroom where the shooting occurred to the landing where her body was found, as if her body had been moved.
Officers learned that Archuleta later admitted to a fellow inmate that he shot Halcomb because he caught her texting another man. Charges of involuntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a handgun were dismissed.
