Landlord charged with murder after disabled tenant found shot, buried under porch: Reports

FILE - Mug shot of Jonah Jeter, a New Mexico landlord accused of shooting and killing his disabled tenant and then burying his body. (Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center)

The Details

The Brief

A New Mexico landlord faces murder charges after his tenant was found buried under a porch.

Investigators found the disabled tenant’s body with a gunshot wound in his head.

The landlord remains in custody pending his next hearing.

New Mexico landlord is in custody after one of his tenants was found buried under his own porch, according to local reports.

Jonah Jeter, 33, has been charged with multiple offenses, including murder and tampering with evidence.

Dig deeper

The tenant, 51-year-old Robert Debeary, was reported missing by his family in August.

Detectives began to suspect foul play after receiving an anonymous tip that implicated Jeter in Debeary’s disappearance, according to KOB 4.

Debeary suffered four strokes in the past which led to brain damage and paralysis on one side of his body, according to KRQE.

When investigators went to his apartment to search it, they found all of his belongings but his bed was missing.

Investigators proceeded to interview Jeter, Debeary’s landlord at the time, who told them Debeary did not have a bed.

Family members of Debeary told police that he had ongoing issues with Jeter.

Two months after Debeary went missing, investigators executed a search warrant at Debeary’s residence and noticed loose dirt under the porch.

After digging, they found a mattress, bed frame, and Debeary’s body wrapped in a blanket and he had a gunshot wound in his head, according to KRQE.

Debeary’s body was buried two feet underground.

Jeter will remain in police custody until his next hearing.

The Source

Information for this article was taken from reporting by KOB 4 and KQRE. This story was reported from San Jose.