Two U.S. Army deserters, Rainor Joiner, 23, and David Degroat, 22, have been charged with the gruesome murder and dismemberment of a fellow soldier, 25-year-old Matthew McLaughlin, a West Virginia man they had served with at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Taos County Sheriff’s Office brought in Joiner and Degroat, who were McLaughlin’s roommates, for questioning on August 17 after McLaughlin was reported missing on July 31.
Disturbingly, the two men already had active warrants from the Army for desertion, and now they face charges of first-degree murder and “other violent felonies” after Joiner’s shocking confession. In a newly released video, Joiner chillingly detailed to deputies how he shot McLaughlin on July 25, before going on to dismember the body and scattering the remains along U.S. Highway 64. Joiner initially tried to spin a story, claiming he had brought McLaughlin to New Mexico to help him deal with substance abuse issues.
