Man Faces Murder Charge After Apartment Stabbing Over Fat Joke

Albuquerque –

The Albuquerque Police Department has arrested 23-year-old Colin Bilagody, and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office has charged him with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence. The charges follow a fatal stabbing that occurred in the early hours of March 31, 2026, at an apartment complex located at 700 Eubank Blvd SE.

A call for service was initially created at approximately 2:14 AM on March 31, 2026, after police received a report of a loud disturbance and a woman knocking on neighbors’ doors to find help. The complaint details that the 911 caller did not answer their door but instead contacted the police about the disturbance. The complaint also notes that “multiple other residents in the area called the police and reported that a female was knocking on their door, but none of the residents answered their door.”

APD officers arrived at the Manzano Mesa Apartments at approximately 2:54 AM and discovered the victim, Tyren Begay, deceased near the front door of an apartment with a fatal stab wound to his chest. Police observed blood throughout the apartment’s hallway and living room, and a bloody kitchen knife was recovered from the sidewalk outside the unit.

Court documents reveal that the victim’s girlfriend had been drinking alcohol with Begay and Bilagody at another residence before the group returned to her apartment. Bilagody told police later he made a joke about Begay’s shirt and about Begay having “titties,” after he made this joke, Begay began hitting him.

Begay’s girlfriend informed investigators that the two men started fighting upon their arrival, and despite her multiple attempts to intervene, she was unsuccessful. At one point, she was even pushed. The girlfriend stated she witnessed Bilagody stab the victim in the chest while inside her living room. Following the altercation, she sought help from neighbors before driving to her sister’s residence, where the police were contacted.

Surveillance cameras located inside the apartment captured portions of the physical struggle. The complaint states that the footage reportedly showed the victim pushing Bilagody to the ground and kicking him earlier that morning. Later in the recording, Bilagody is seen exiting the apartment holding a knife with a blood-covered hand.

The complaint details that APD detectives later executed a search warrant at Bilagody’s residence on San Mateo Blvd NE. During the search, they recovered a pair of blood-stained brown shorts that Bilagody had allegedly changed out of after fleeing the scene on foot.

Bilagody turned himself in at a Northeast substation on Tuesday afternoon. During an interview with detectives, he alleged the victim was the primary aggressor and had hit and kicked him multiple times in the head and ribs. Bilagody stated he grabbed a kitchen knife to scare the victim in self-defense but claimed he “blacked out” and accidentally stabbed him after being pushed down again. He expressed to investigators that he should have walked away from the fight.

Bilagody is currently facing charges of:

• Open Count of Murder
• Tampering with Evidence

He was booked into the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center on April 1 at 12:10 AM.

Suspect Faced DWI Charge, Probation Review Before Latest Arrest

While Colin Bilagody does not have an extensive criminal record, he faced recent charges stemming from an October 25, 2025, traffic stop. A New Mexico State Police officer clocked his white Chevrolet SUV traveling 80 mph in a 55-mph construction zone. Bilagody eventually pulled into a Maverik gas station on Jefferson Street after exiting Interstate 25 at milepost 229.

According to the complaint, upon approaching the vehicle, the officer reported a strong odor of alcohol and observed that Bilagody had bloodshot, watery eyes. During the stop, the officer also observed an open vodka container in the glove compartment while the driver searched for his insurance and registration.

After Bilagody failed to provide registration or proof of insurance, he was ordered to exit the vehicle. He later admitted to consuming a shot of alcohol from the vodka bottle shortly before being stopped. According to the citations issued, his blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .15, nearly double the legal limit of .08 in New Mexico.

On October 25, 2025, Bilagody was charged with:

• Open container (possession, 1st offense)
• DWI (Driving While Under the Influence of Liquor and/or Drugs, .08 or Above, 1st Offense)
• Speeding (21–25 mph over the limit in a construction zone)
• No driver’s license

On February 2, 2026, a plea agreement was submitted in which Bilagody pleaded guilty to the DWI charge. The remaining charges, speeding, no driver’s license, and open container, were dismissed as part of the agreement.

It should be noted that condition 6 of the plea agreement was “No alcohol/illegal drugs & random testing, 02/02/2026, Active 02/02/2026.”

On March 17, 2026, a probation violation report was submitted to the court which stated:

“On February 2, 2026, the defendant submitted an initial urinalysis test at the Metropolitan Courthouse to establish THC levels check and results returned on February 6, 2026 (attached as Exhibit A). Despite the urinalysis test being positive for THC it was also confirmed positive for alcohol at the following levels:

• Alcohol / ETG 500 Level: 5559 ng/mL
• ETG Level: 11238.81 ng/mL
• ETS Level: 4805.94 ng/mL
• CannibinoidsNatural / Cannabinoid 20: 91 ng/mL
• CannibinoidsNatural / Cannabinoid 20: 91 ng/mL
• The defendant’s Creatinine Cannabinoid 20 level was at 47.9.

Comments: Upon speaking with the defendant regarding the above violation, he admitted to alcohol consumption.

Recommendations: Should Your Honor find the defendant has violated his Conditions of Probation; probation respectfully recommends that the defendant serve forty-eight (48) hours in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center, be reinstated back to supervised probation upon release, and zero tolerance for any future missed drug tests.”

The reason a plea agreement was offered on February 2, prior to the completion of a drug or alcohol screening test, is unknown.

For this February incident, Bilagody was scheduled to appear for a probation violation arraignment on March 23, 2026. Per court records, the “defendant is continued on probation as originally imposed in the judgment and sentence,” which indicates the court/judge did not find him in violation.

Following Bilagody’s arrest on a murder charge, another probation violation arraignment hearing is scheduled for April 6, 2026.