Murder-for-Hire?
Former inmate testifies Eby planned to kill co-defendant

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A former McKinley County Adult Detention Center prisoner testified on Friday Jeremy Eby bragged about a 20-year-old Thoreau resident's stabbing death and expressed regret about placing the body horizontally along the railroad tracks.

Instead, Eby reportedly said he should have placed the body vertically, in line with the railroad tracks, to ensure the evidence would have been destroyed. But Eby's attorney argued the inmate looked at Eby's court documents without his permission. Eby is charged with murder and tampering with evidence in connection with the April 2004 death of Leland Laurence. David Roanhorse, a former inmate charged with receiving stolen property, said he and Eby talked regularly about the case during his stay in the protective custody unit at the jail.

"For him it was like getting high talking about it getting a rush," Roanhorse said.

Roanhorse, who has spent about six years in prison throughout his life, said he has encountered prisoners convicted of murder and that none of them discussed their acts as freely as Eby discussed his.

Eby also reportedly offered Roanhorse $1,000 to kill 16-year-old Nathan Smith upon his release from jail and made plans for his payment. Smith, Eby's co-defendant, is one the prosecution's star witnesses in the case and is slated to testify Eby master-minded the plot to kill Laurence.

"This guy was going to be the detriment to his case," Roanhorse said.

Following the offer, Roanhorse told a sheriff's investigator about the alleged murder-for-hire plot and was subsequently sent back into the jail wired with a recording device. Eby is now facing murder solicitation charges for the alleged incident.

Roanhorse said one of Eby's comments about Laurence, who is a Navajo, reinforced his decision to inform police.

"He said 'F those Navajos. F that Indian' and at that point, I said well f you," Roanhorse said.

Roanhorse said he accepted no deal from the prosecution in exchange for his testimony and was compelled to do what was right.

But William Stripp, Eby's attorney, said Roanhorse looked at Eby's stash of court documents and police reports, concerning the Thoreau killing, without Eby's permission.

He also discussed Roanhorse's five previous felony convictions, which include property crimes and drug trafficking.

He also brought up an incident where Roanhorse was charged with allegedly trying to run over a police officer with a vehicle. But the charge was later dismissed.

Stripp questioned why Eby would make derogatory remarks about Navajos to Roanhorse when he it's obvious Roanhorse is a Native American. Roanhorse also said Eby abandoned the plan, shortly before Roanhorse's release.

"The last comment he said he didn't want to kill Nathan Smith," Stripp said and Roanhorse nodded.

Testimony will resume on Wednesday morning.