Tres Piedras, NM: Becoming roommates with your buddies will test the true strength of the friendship. Once-strong relationships often fall apart after you start living with each other, effectively ruining the friendship forever
But no one ever needs to get murdered over it.
That's exactly what happened to a trio of friends, who all served in the Army together at Fort Benning, Georgia, home of the U.S. Army Infantry boot camp.
What started as a typical “three friends living together” eventually took a majorly disturbing turn when two of the roomies allegedly conspired and decided to kill the third, then dismember his body and scatter the parts in different areas of a nearby forest off a local major highway.
It has been reported that one of the two men, David Degroat, 23, admitted to killing the third roomie, chopped up his body and told authorities that “I don't f---ing regret it”.
He recently accepted a deal with the prosecution and had the original 1st degree murder charge downgraded to a second degree charge as part of the plea deal. That effectively means he may actually see freedom from prison once again, albeit many decades from now.
The other roomie, Raynor Joiner, reportedly has not accepted any deal.
The Murder
Joiner reportedly told authorities that the victim, identified as Matthew McLaughlin, was a “bad roommate”. He accused McLaughlin of spreading rumors, being an avid drug user, and frequently bringing in unwanted and unknown guests to their shared apartment.
Just over a year ago, McLaughlin was reported missing. Local officials partnered up with a well-known nonprofit organization and conducted an area search of suspected areas where McLaughlin may have been.
Tips led investigators towards Joiner and DeGroat and the pair were detained weeks later for questioning and learned all three served together in the Army. Further investigation revealed that Joiner and DeGroat were military deserters with active military warrants out for their arrest.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Joiner copped up to the murder "and with the help of Degroat, dismembering him and disposing of the body parts.”
He then gave investigators enough information to search a specific area to look for “plastic bags”.
"The bags contained human remains and were turned over to the Office of the Medical Investigator,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
They added, “"[Joiner] admitted he shot the individual with a rifle and then again with a pistol, then, days later, he continued to dismember the victim. 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."
Joiner is scheduled for trial later this year.
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Writer and author Eddie Molina has over 25 years of combined LEO and military service. Learn more about his interview articles at www.eddiemolina.com.
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