A Santa Fe man has pleaded not guilty to the murder of a woman who died by a sword, and if convicted, he could face life in prison. Isaac Apodaca, 30, is charged with first-degree accomplice murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of 21-year-old Grace Jennings.
Sword Slaying
On October 29, 2022, officers received a call from Apodaca’s mother who said his son reportedly told her he witnessed his girlfriend kill another woman with a sword. Authorities went to the property and found the victim dead in a detached garage on the defendant’s property on Jaguar Drive on Santa Fe’s south side, where he lived with his girlfriend.
They said Jennings had cuts all over her legs and multiple wounds, and it “appeared her left ear had been chopped off.” They also noticed that a long, bloody sword lay on the dresser. Inside the home, they said Apodaca’s girlfriend, Kiara McCulley, sat there with bandages over her hands. They also noted the washing machine was running, with only 15 minutes left.
Plea Deal Offered to Co-Defendant
McCulley accepted a plea deal with the prosecution in 2025, in which she pleaded guilty to second degree-murder and conspiracy to commit murder. As long as she testifies truthfully in Apodaca’s trial, she will serve only 30 years in prison.
In an initial interview with police officers, she said she did not know what happened, but expressed that she was angry that Apodaca allowed the victim to stay with them. She even mentioned having dreams about harming the victim.
After a thorough investigation, investigators were convinced that Apodaca was the mastermind behind the murder, saying he convinced McCulley to kill Jennings. Prosecutors said they have text messages showing the two were conspiring to kill the victim, and the defendant was aggressively coercing McCulley to do it.
The Defendants’ Relationship
Apodaca admitted to police during an interview that he met Jennings in 2018 when she was 16 and he was 20, acknowledging they had an illegal relationship. McCulley also admitted in an interview that she dated Jennings before either of them formed a relationship with Apodaca.
Apparently, the three of them had shared a bed on the property, but the defendant insists there was no sexual relationship with the victim.
Opening Statements
Deputy District Attorney Haley Murphy delivered opening statements for the prosecution on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. She began by reading Apodaca’s personal text messages to his co-defendant. “With the dagger, bring it up. Turn flat, south to north, and with the hilt, east to west, hilt north to south, and voila she dead,” Murphy read.
“Just waiting for you to make the first move. I’m just saying swing and don’t regret the aim. I’m not playing games. I wanna see you do this. I’m wanting you to kill her.”
The State’s Arguments
Prosecutors argue that Apodaca manipulated his girlfriend into slaying their mutual friend with a sword on their property in 2022. They say he knew how to manipulate her vulnerable mental health state to coerce her into murder.
“Apodaca helped, and he encouraged Kiara every step of the way, until Kiara took Grace’s life,” Murphy said. “The evidence in this case will show that Isaac is the architect of Grace’s murder.”
Murphy brought up the theory that the murder was committed out of jealous rage on McCulley’s side. However, she said the couple planned Jenning’s death well in advance. Apodaca allegedly told McCulley that the victim sold a video of her being raped, and if she killed her, then she would level up in a dark fantasy world.
According to the state, alcohol and marijuana were found in the home, but there is no evidence to suggest that anyone was on drugs the night of the slaying. “There was no meth, no crack, no PCP or bath salts,” Murphy said.
Defense Counter Argues
When it was the defense’s turn to deliver opening statements, attorney Jay Nair insisted that there is no evidence to prove Apodaca killed Jennings. “Ms. Kiara McCulley butchered Grace Jennings … and now they want to blame Isaac Apodaca, who had nothing to do with the stabbing of Grace Jennings with a 3-foot sword,” Nair said.
“The state is going to want you to believe that Isaac Apodaca coerced and controlled Kiara McCulley to stab Grace Jennings to death, and even post-mortem after death,” he said, adding that the evidence will show McCulley was angry and “the defendant himself was clearly gullible and manipulated.”
Nair acknowledged the text messages but told jurors that it is not evidence to say that Apodaca is responsible for the victim’s death and is not supportive of the prosecution’s theory that he was an accomplice, although that is exactly what it means.
“I’m not going to stand up here like a used car salesman and try to sell you on beyond a reasonable doubt, because this is a pretty straightforward case,” Nair said, noting there is no DNA evidence to show the defendant wielded the murder weapon.
