A Colorado man who put explosives that failed to detonate in a Jehovah’s Witnesses meeting hall before shooting his wife and himself to death on Christmas is suspected of orchestrating an earlier explosion at a separate facility, according to authorities.
Enoch Apodaca stepped inside the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 68 building with a bucket, and shortly after leaving, an explosion occurred. According to Thornton police, the explosion occurred shortly after Apodaca exited the facility.
According to police, no one was injured in the explosion because the building was closed and unoccupied.
A representative from Apodaca’s former employer at Sturgeon Electric Company stated that a year before to the shooting and explosion, Apodaca threatened to shoot his wife and the union rep, and then claimed he would “come after the individuals responsible” once he and his wife lost their jobs.
The shocking allegation was originally reported by the Denver Post. It was included in an application for a protective order that also stated Apodaca was fired in June 2021 for unknown reasons.
Apodaca, 46, and his wife, Melissa Martinez, 44, arrived at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Thornton at 9 a.m. on Sunday, when Apodaca directed his wife to back a truck up to a window before smashing it with a hammer, according to authorities.
According to investigators, he then placed explosive devices inside before shooting Martinez in the back of the head with a shotgun and then committing suicide.
According to authorities, only two worshippers were there when the explosive devices were put. Thornton police stated that one of the devices looked to have started a fire, which was promptly extinguished with an extinguisher.
A bomb technician stated that one of the devices nearly detonated before malfunctioning or being destroyed, according to authorities.
The investigation revealed that both Apodaca and Martinez were former Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the night before the shooting, Apodaca expressed interest in rejoining, according to authorities.
He was instructed to speak with elders of the Kingdom Hall.
There were no explosives found in the couple’s home; rather, personal goods were arranged and labeled for individual family members.
The Denver Post also revealed on Wednesday that a neighbouring Colorado town’s police department received seven calls to Apodaca’s residence since September 2021. One of the calls, apparently made on September 13, 2021, alerted authorities that Apodaca was threatening violence, using drugs, and isolating himself from his family following the couple’s employment loss.
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