Dismembered Body Parts Found: Duo Arrested in Gruesome Crime
All three men served in the same unit of the US Army.
Matthew McLaughlin, a 25-year-old US Army veteran from West Virginia, was initially reported missing on July 31.
His two roommates – and fellow army veterans – Rainor Joiner, 23, and David Degroat, 22, were then both arrested in connection to his killing, the Taos County Sheriff Office in New Mexico confirmed.
The pair, who are said to have served in the same army unit as McLaughlin, were charged with first-degree murder and a number of other related felonies.
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After McLaughlin first went missing last month, the authorities obtained a search warrant for his New Mexico home before detaining his two roommates for questioning.
Local media outlet KOB4 reports that Joiner told police that he shot McLaughlin with the help of Degroat.
He then allegedly said they dismembered the body of their roommate and disposed of his body in plastic bags that were then throw out along US Highway 64.
“I did it, I f****** him, and I don’t f****** regret it,” one of the accused allegedly told cops following their arrest, according to court documents.
Human remains were discovered near Tres Piedras, located approximately 80 miles north of the city of Santa Fe, that were then identified as McLaughlin.
According to the documents attained by KOB4, Joiner told the cops that he wanted to kill McLaughlin for starting rumours that was he using drugs and inviting strangers into their home.
Degroat reportedly told the cops that Joiner shot McLaughling three times on the road outside their home. He then dismembered McLaughlin’s body and forced Degroat to hold the bag open as the pieces were placed inside.
“[Joiner] admitted he shot the individual with a rifle and then again with a pistol then subsequent days later he continued to dismember the victim,” Taos County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Gabriel Ortiz said.
“The individual was very much non-remorseful. No emotions, just a kind of blank face and told them [deputies] exactly what he did and didn’t have any emotions at all.”
Friends of McLaughlin described the army veteran as a “sweet, kind person” to local media and said his death “doesn’t make sense” to them.