Man arrested in Oregon on shooting death charges

LAPWAI — A man was arrested Monday in connection with the May shooting death of Elias “Suge” Spencer in Lapwai, the Nez Perce Tribe announced Tuesday afternoon.

William O. Eyle, 20, of Lapwai, was taken into custody in Pendleton, Ore., following a multi-agency manhunt that crossed into three states and three Indian reservations. His mother, Jacinta R. Wheeler, 43, also has been taken into custody.

Spencer, who was 22, was found dead on the Nez Perce Reservation on May 12 in the area of Thunder Valley Drive near Lapwai after a complaint of shots being fired. He was shot multiple times and found deceased after an altercation outside of his home in Lapwai, according to the news release.

According to a previously unsealed indictment, on Oct. 17, Eyle was charged in U.S. District Court with one count of murder in the second degree and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence after he allegedly killed Spencer by shooting him repeatedly on or about May 12 on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.

Eyle’s mother, also of Lapwai, was charged in the same indictment with accessory after the fact to murder. Wheeler allegedly cleaned out Eyle’s car, disposed of evidence, and assisted Eyle in leaving the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Wheeler’s trial is scheduled for March 25, 2024.

After an extensive investigation conducted by the Nez Perce Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a federal indictment was issued on October 17, 2023, for the arrest of Eyle and his mother who is also currently in federal custody.

If convicted on the murder count, Eyle faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

The Nez Perce Tribal Police and FBI have been actively leading the investigation, while working with multiple agencies, to locate Eyle and bring him into custody. Eyle was brought into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service and is currently being held in Washington’s Tri-Cities while awaiting transfer to Idaho.

The investigation and apprehension of Eyle is the result of a cooperative working relationship between the Nez Perce Tribal Police, Umatilla Tribal Police, Yakama Nation Police, City of Moscow Police, FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to the Nez Perce Tribe’s news release.