ALBUQUERQUE — A woman who invited a man to join her in a Wiccan celebration of spring fatally stabbed him multiple times near a popular hiking trail east of Albuquerque, then told another hiker she had been raped, police said.
Police Chief Ray Schultz said Tuesday the evidence initially didn’t add up, and the man she identified as the offender appears to be the victim.
An arrest warrant for Angela Sanford, 30, of Albuquerque, charges her with an open count of murder in Monday evening’s slaying of Joel Leyba, 52, also of Albuquerque.
Police allege that she killed him with a dagger she brought along to use as part of a Wiccan ritual.
“Obviously, it’s a very strange murder investigation,” Schultz said.
Albuquerque Department of Public Safety Director Darren White provided Sanford’s MySpace social networking link, where she used the screen name Glitch.
In blogs, Sanford wrote about dreams, particularly a recurring image of a pale horse, and quoted biblical passages.
Sanford had not yet appeared in court Tuesday.
Police said Sanford and Leyba met about a week ago at a casino.
