CRIME
Co-defendant in US Army veteran's slaying in Tres Piedras tentatively accepts plea deal
Agreement would change charge from 1st- to 2nd-degree murder, reducing possible life sentence
Published
One of two men accused of slaying a U.S. Army veteran who moved to Tres Piedras with them last year is considering a plea deal that could reduce his charge and spare him a possible life sentence.
David Degroat was 22 years old last July when he and his roommate, fellow Army deserter Rainor Joiner, 24, were accused of killing 25-year-old Matthew McLaughlin.
McLaughlin was reported missing on July 31, 2025, after traveling with Degroat and Joiner to Tres Piedras earlier in the year. The three men had served in the same Army unit at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.
Joiner later admitted to Taos County Sheriff鈥檚 deputies he and Degroat had fatally shot and dismembered McLaughlin about a week before he was reported missing, placing the 25-year-old鈥檚 remains in plastic bags and hiding them along U.S. 64.
At a status conference Monday in 8th Judicial District Court, Degroat tentatively accepted a plea deal, but the DA鈥檚 office has declined to publicly release the official agreement.
Joseph Casados, a spokesperson for the DA, told the Journal that the details of the agreement won鈥檛 be finalized until a plea conference scheduled for Aug. 21.
鈥淚f the plea agreement is accepted by both parties and approved by the Court at that hearing, it will become part of the official court record and will be publicly available through the court's docket system,鈥� Casados said. 鈥淎t that time, members of the public may request or download a copy of the filed agreement.鈥�
Kayla McLaughlin, the victim鈥檚 sister-in-law, provided copies of an agreement the DA had been considering for Degroat, whose charge and sentence would be reduced to second-degree murder and 30 years in prison, respectively, if the deal is finalized. A conviction on second-degree murder in New Mexico typically carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, with possible fines, according to state statutes.
McLaughlin said the DA鈥檚 office also informed them of preliminary discussions of a plea deal for Joiner, who admitted to firing the four shots that killed the Virginia veteran in a video interview with deputies played at a court hearing last September.
As of Tuesday evening, a jury trial remained scheduled for Dec. 7 in Joiner鈥檚 case.
According to the McLaughlins, plea deals should not be offered in view of what the DA鈥檚 office has previously described in court records as 鈥渙verwhelming鈥� evidence against both defendants.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think they should be offering a plea deal, lessening the charges and things like that,鈥� said Lawrence McLaughlin, the victim鈥檚 brother. 鈥淚 know before they said they had a strong case.鈥�
Criminal trials are relatively rare in the U.S., with 90% to 95% of all murder cases resolved through plea bargains, even when a defendant has confessed to the crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors argue that plea deals offer sure outcomes in criminal cases, reducing the odds of hung juries or mistrials caused by prosecutorial error. Plea deals also keep cases moving through judicial districts, many of which operate under continual backlogs due to attorney shortages, a chronic problem in New Mexico鈥檚 rural areas.
But outcomes in other cases notwithstanding, the McLaughlins are adamant that justice for their family member means convictions at trial for both Degroat and Joiner.
鈥淚t just seems like the DA is trying to make it easier and more time efficient for themselves instead of actually getting justice,鈥� Lawrence McLaughlin said.
John Miller is the Journal鈥檚 northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.
