The Misery Machine - The Story of Karlan + Connie Denio

Starting point is 00:00:00 In the United States, Thanksgiving has become a time to get together with loved ones over a warm meal. A day to indulge in Turkey and fixings while the big game or the Perina Dog Show plays in the background. Many people view this holiday as a time to be grateful for those closest in your life. But for one family in New Mexico, their Thanksgiving became, in every sense of the phrase, a living nightmare. Today's story centers around Connie and Carlin Denio, two grandparents who resided in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2010, Connie retired from work at the Social Security Administration after 29 years of service. Carlin worked as an electrical superintendent at McDade Woodcock Incorporated, where he'd been employed since October of 1983. Their home was on the 1400 block of Vistadale-Soul Drive Northwest.

Starting point is 00:00:50 The quaint neighborhood sported Pueblo-style adobee homes with the iconic red clay tile roofs, the type of place to raise a family. The type of place where nothing bad ever happens. That was until Thanksgiving of 2022. Neighbor Rich Cordova, who had lived next to the Denio family for two decades, said they were the family he would least expect to have a tragedy befall them. He said the couple were pleasant people who often walked together and would always wave hello. He said the couple kept to themselves, but were nice folks with two grown children. He said he had seen people standing outside the home Thursday afternoon, but nothing seemed to miss.

Starting point is 00:01:30 Cordova noted, I'm stunned. It's unbelievable. Our story begins with Connie and Carlin planning to host dinner for the relatives at their home on November 24th. Carlin's brother, Darren Danio, traveled to Albuquerque from out of town to join them. However, when he arrived at the pre-arranged time, there was no answer at the door. Relatives had last heard from Connie around 5.30 p.m. the previous day in a group chat about plans to gather at their home for Thanksgiving around 1 p.m. Concerned, Darren called his sister, Tammy Pacheco, who then contacted the Albuquerque Police Department for a welfare check. Dispatchers informed her that they couldn't lawfully force their way into the Denio home. So instead, the siblings decide to take things into

Starting point is 00:02:16 their own hands. But it wasn't just the radio silence that gave them cause for concern. There was another factor at play that made them fear for the worst. According to family members, Carlin was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia two years earlier. Now we've all heard of dementia, but frontotemporal dementia or FTT for short is a condition you may not be familiar with. One study published in 2010 by Dr. Mario Mendez, professor of neurology and psychiatry at UCLA, found that people diagnosed with FD, quote, are particularly prone to sociopathic behavior while retaining knowledge of their acts and of moral and conventional rules, end quote. Put more simply, those with an FD diagnosis were noted to have altered moral feelings,

Starting point is 00:02:59 compulsive behavior, and a loss of emotional empathy. According to this study, those suffering from FTT who committed criminal acts fully understood the difference between right and wrong, as well as the potential consequences of their negative actions. But in spite of this, they did not feel concerned enough to stop themselves. The case histories and literature outlined in the study, quote, indicate that those with right temporal FTT retain the capacity to tell right from wrong, but have the slow and insidious loss of the capacity for moral rationality." A 2005 study was also referenced that compared 28 patients with FTD to 28 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Starting point is 00:03:45 Out of both groups, 16 of the 28 patients with FTT displayed sociopathic symptoms compared to only two out of 28 of the Alzheimer's patients. For those interested more in the studies in the science bind FD, we have several links for you in the sources below. A frontotemporal dementia diagnosis and the potential for violence have been likened by experts that those associated with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE for short. This frequently impacts NFL players, boxers, and MMA fighters who suffer multiple concussions over their careers. One of the more high-profile examples of this is the former New England Patriots tight end

Starting point is 00:04:23 Aaron Hernandez, who was found dead by his own hand in a jail cell in 2017. Sadly, this was not Carlin Denio's first brush with the law in relation to his dementia diagnosis. According to a Twitter post made by the Gilbert, Arizona Police Department on June 23, 2020, Carlin went missing after being last seen at South Picos Road and Lindsay Road in Gilbert. It is unclear what Carlin was doing in Arizona. The post from Connie's Facebook page indicate that Carlin's workplace had offices in the surrounding southwestern states, and at one point they discussed moving to Tucson. At 10.15 p.m. the following day, Carlin was located safe and sound.

Starting point is 00:05:02 While Carlin was found that day, there was no record of him being taken into custody. Nothing was reported about him acting violent or out of sorts at all. Based on what we know about the instant and how little the average person knows about frontotemporal dementia, it would have been difficult for someone to predict what was about to happen that Thanksgiving day. After Darren picked up Tammy and returned back to Connie and Carlin's home, they began knocking on the windows and doors. After receiving absolutely no response from inside of the house, they forcefully broke one of the door hinges

Starting point is 00:05:35 and entered the Denio home through the garage. They were met inside by total darkness. And in the bedroom, Darren and Tammy found Carlin lying in bed with lacerations to his neck and his leg. Laying nearby was the body of Connie Denio. The grandmother had been dismembered and disemboweled. Carlin made eye contact with Tammy, who then backed out of the home and contacted the police once more. The police finally arrived at around 1.30 p.m. and located Connie's remains in the bedroom.

Starting point is 00:06:06 Carlin was transported to a nearby hospital and treated for his injuries, and subsequently placed under arrest for homicide in the first degree of his wife Connie. As this case is still developing, there isn't a lot of in-depth information that can be shared. However, social media often provides a window into people's lives that the mainstream media often fails to consider. According to comments posted on Connie's Facebook page, it appeared that things had been going downhill with regards to Carlin's mental health. Some of these comments have personal information shared about people who have nothing to do with the story, so we won't read them verbatim. However, there were people giving well-wishes to Connie

Starting point is 00:06:46 that made it seem like Carlin's decline wasn't a secret. There was another that shared a story about their mother who had severe dementia and gave recommendation of a facility that they took her to for help. Family members took to social media to express their shock at the gut-wrenching turn of events. One relative wrote, quote, So our Thanksgiving festivities didn't end

Starting point is 00:07:07 at all how we had planned. Unfortunately, we received the tragic news Thursday afternoon that Connie Denio was tragically taken from this earth. Please pray for immediate and extended family and friends during this very difficult time as they try to find peace and comfort in the coming days. We love you, Aunt Connie, end quote.

Starting point is 00:07:27 Another relative wrote, quote, This is how I will always remember my Aunt Connie Denio, young, vibrant, fearless, not afraid to climb a tree and a dress, end quote. Other loved ones mourn Carlin Denio as well, sharing memories of how he was before his diagnosis. One relative wrote, In memory of two beautiful people, rest in peace.

Starting point is 00:07:51 Many of us know someone who has suffered from dementia. It's not uncommon to watch the person you love so dearly eventually become something you can barely recognize. I've watched this happen with both of my grandparents for many years now. We've all experienced, or in the very least, heard stories, where a person with dementia has terrible memory, says inappropriate things, or even gets physically combative. But unfortunately, a dementia patient taking someone else's life is sadly not unheard of. It's just rarely reported in the media. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be talked about.

Starting point is 00:08:26 How do you feel Carlin's alleged actions should be handled by the courts given his diagnosis? Do you have stories from your own loved ones who have suffered? Let me know in the comments down below.

The Misery Machine - The Story of Karlan + Connie Denio

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