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Army Deserter Sentenced to 44 Years for Killing Veteran He Served With

David DeGroat was sentenced to 44 years in prison for the July 2025 killing of a fellow veteran, according to military.com.

4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 23, 2026, 10:55 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 23, 2026, 10:28 a.m. ETWritten Aug 23, 2026, 11:14 a.m. ET
Developing · checked 2h ago

This case is not concluded. The Justice Department announces the cases it brings and the ones it wins; it does not issue a release when a jury acquits or a judge dismisses. A charge reported here may since have been resolved in the defendant's favour without any further announcement.

We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 23, 2026, 11:09 a.m. ET — checked 2h ago.

David DeGroat, 22, was to on August 23, 2026, in , military.com reported. The sentence stems from the July 25, 2025, killing of McLaughlin, a veteran DeGroat had served with. According to military.com, DeGroat lured McLaughlin to a property by asking him to help carry groceries up a dirt road. Once there, Joiner ambushed McLaughlin, shooting him once with a rifle and then firing additional shots with DeGroat's handgun. The Taos County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. The cause of the killing has not been determined, and no further details about the motive or circumstances have been released.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 23, 2026, 11:09 a.m. ET

    Army Deserter Sentenced to 44 Years for Killing Veteran He Served With

    David DeGroat, 22, was sentenced to 44 years in prison on August 23, 2026, in New Mexico's 8th Judicial District Court, military.com reported. The sentence stems from the July 25, 2025, killing of a veteran he had served with.

    According to military.com, DeGroat lured the victim, McLaughlin, to a property by asking him to help carry groceries up a dirt road. There, Joiner ambushed McLaughlin, shooting him once with a rifle and then firing additional shots with DeGroat's handgun. The Taos County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

    The cause of the killing has not been determined, and the investigation is ongoing.

  2. Aug 23, 2026, 11:04 a.m. ET

    Army Deserter Sentenced to 44 Years for Killing Veteran He Served With

    David DeGroat, 22, was sentenced to 44 years in prison on August 23, 2026, in New Mexico's 8th Judicial District Court, according to military.com.

    DeGroat was convicted in connection with the death of McLaughlin, a veteran he had served with. According to military.com, DeGroat lured McLaughlin to a property on July 25, 2025, by asking him to help carry groceries up a dirt road, after which Joiner ambushed him, shooting him once with a rifle before firing additional shots with DeGroat's handgun.

    The Taos County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

  3. Aug 23, 2026, 10:55 a.m. ETFirst report

    Army Deserter Sentenced to 44 Years for Killing Veteran He Served With

    David DeGroat, 22, was sentenced to 44 years in prison on August 23, 2026, in New Mexico's 8th Judicial District Court, according to military.com. The sentence stems from the July 25, 2025, killing of a veteran he had served with in the Army.

    Military.com reported that DeGroat lured the victim to a property by asking him to help carry groceries up a dirt road. Once there, another individual, identified as Joiner, ambushed the victim, shooting him once with a rifle before firing additional shots with DeGroat's handgun. The Taos County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

    The victim was a veteran who had served with DeGroat. The specific charges and the victim's name were not detailed in the report.

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Revision history

  1. Version 123 Aug 2026, 15:09current

    First published.

  2. Version 123 Aug 2026, 14:55current

    First published.

  3. Version 123 Aug 2026, 15:14current

    First published.

  4. Version 123 Aug 2026, 15:04current

    First published.

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