Almost five years after a British man was found dead – his body decomposing and wrapped in plastic and tape, dumped outside the small central New Mexican town of Magdalena – his landlady’s relatives have been indicted in the case.
Joaquin Roibal, 35, has been charged with murder and other crimes in 2nd Judicial District Court. His mother, 57-year-old Juanita Roibal-Bradley, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Their attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.
The Journal had spoken with AJ Gryffin’s family in 2018 as they searched for answers. At that point, New Mexico State Police said the case was an active homicide investigation and they could not provide details about what happened.
The case was reported on in the United Kingdom and articles frequently mention that Gryffin was a “Breaking Bad” fan.
Family members said Gryffin, a 51-year-old from Sheffield, England, who used to go by Andrew Jackson, came to Albuquerque with his American wife in December 2015. Over the next two years the two bitterly divorced and he moved onto a property off Edith NE, north of Osuna.
That property was owned by Roibal’s aunt and he was the caretaker for it, according to court documents. Gryffin worked for Roibal on the property as well. Roibal’s aunt couldn’t be reached by the Journal.
On Aug. 12, 2017, Gryffin, a frequent Facebook user, said he was going to Flying Star and had “legal issues to write up for next week.” It was the last time his family heard from him.
A criminal complaint was not available in this case, but according to a motion to hold Roibal in jail pending trial, around this same time, the caretaker was calling and emailing his mother in federal prison in California.
“Defendant’s mother wanted the Defendant to get AJ off the property for not paying rent or working on the property,” the motion states. “When talking about getting rid of AJ Gryffin, she referred to removal of AJ Gryffin as ‘get rid of that parasite.’ On August 17, 2017, the defendant emailed his mother in custody and told her that he had evicted AJ Gryffin from the property.”
According to the motion, the dwelling where Gryffin lived had blood stains on the floor and bedspread. And when a State Police agent stopped Roibal in his Jeep Grand Cherokee Gryffin’s mail, black duct tape and blue latex gloves were found in a duffle bag.
A witness told State Police that Roibal “abused and belittled Mr. Gryffin and that upon looking inside Mr. Gryffin’s residence, it appeared a struggle had occurred.”
Court records in Nevada show Roibal was arrested there as a fugitive from another state on Aug. 21. He will be extradited to New Mexico. It’s unclear where his mother is being held.
“The defendant was involved in the planning and execution of A Gryffin,” prosecutors wrote in the motion to detain him. “His actions show that he does not value human life, making him extremely dangerous to the community.”
