Murder trial begins for two men suspected in crime spree across Colville Reservation

A trial began Monday for two men accused in a crime spree that spanned two Indian reservations in Idaho and Washington, and left two people dead and one tribal police officer injured two years ago. 

Zachary Holt, 24, and Dezmonique Tenzsley, 35, are accused of killing Jeremy Neal and his sister Gail Neal in Keller, Washington on Oct. 20, 2022, after a failed robbery. 

The manhunt that followed lasted nearly 24 hours and resulted in schools and businesses on and near the Colville Reservation to shut down. The two men, along with their driver, Curry Pinkham, were arrested on a different part of the reservation. 

Pinkham, 27, signed a plea agreement in March 2023 to six counts, including assault on a federal officer and attempted murder of a federal officer. His sentencing is scheduled for December.

The men were charged in U.S. District Court for Eastern Washington. 

Holt is charged with 15 crimes, including two counts of first-degree murder. Both Holt and Tenzsley are charged with assault of a federal officer, attempted murder of a federal officer, robbery and as felons in possession of firearms and ammunition. 

Holt and Pinkham are half-brothers, and both are enrolled members of the Nez Perce Tribe. Tenzsley, also known as “Privilege,” is not a member of a Native American tribe.  

Holt and Tenzsley are self-proclaimed members of the Gangster Disciples, a street and prison gang, prosecutors said during opening statements Monday. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Ellis said that even though Keller is a very small town, the prosecution has lots of video evidence to introduce from surveillance cameras.

Defense attorneys argued there will be evidence in the trial that does not match the government’s theory of what happened, specifically the evidence of who shot the Neals.

Tenzsley’s attorney David Miller asked the jury to question the motive for Pinkham to testify later in the case, since he has yet to be sentenced and had more severe charges dropped in his plea deal.

The crime spree began over a month earlier in North Idaho, according to the indictment, when on Sept. 3, 2022, Holt and Tenzsley robbed and assaulted a man at his home in Moscow, Idaho, and stole various items, including ammunition. On Oct. 12, the pair did two more armed home invasions on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.

A few days later, Holt and Tenzsley traveled to the Colville Reservation in a Honda Civic to stay with Curry, bringing various firearms and the stolen ammunition with them, according to court documents. 

On Oct. 20, the men were reportedly hanging out, drinking and doing drugs. That afternoon, while Holt was speeding with Tenzsley on a dirt road, he swerved to miss a school bus and rolled the car into a ditch.

When Pinkham picked them up in his Toyota Camry, Holt was upset and allegedly demanded Pinkham drive them to a place where they could get more drugs and find someone to rob. 

Pinkham took them to a house at 303 Mountain Ridge Road in Keller where he said a drug dealer lived. When they got to the house, instead of approaching the front door, Holt and Tenzsley walked to a camp trailer at the back of the property where Gail Neal lived. 

Inside, Holt shot Jeremy Neal in the head and leg, then shot Gail Neal in the head, court documents said. Holt and Tenzsley ran back to the car, and Pinkham drove them away. 

Later that afternoon, Colville Police Sergeant Kris Brakebill was responding to the incident driving from Omak, Washington, when he passed the Camry driving fast in the other direction. Brakebill turned around and chased the vehicle, traveling toward Nespelem, Washington. 

As Brakebill raced to catch up, Holt allegedly leaned out the window and shot numerous rounds at the patrol car. During the chase, Tenzsley reloaded magazines for Holt and fired at the officer with a shotgun, according to court documents. 

When Brakebill rounded a curve, the Camry was pulled over at an angle that gave Holt a better line of sight. Holt fired a shot through the patrol car’s windshield that struck through Brakebill’s forearm as he was using his radio. The bullet then ricocheted off Brakebill’s body armor, Ellis said. 

After being shot, Brakebill pursued at a greater distance, but eventually lost sight of the vehicle. 

Another officer responding to Brakebill’s distress calls caught up with the Camry. Holt fired at the second officer, who shot back at the Camry. Holt and Tenzsley were struck in the arm and leg either by bullet fragments or shards from the car. They continued driving with a flat tire and got away from the second officer. 

When they got to Nespelem, they hid the car with a tarp, then ran away . 

The next day, Holt and Tenzsley were arrested in Nespelem. Tenzsley was held at gunpoint by a private citizen, and Holt got in a fist fight with another citizen, Ellis said. 

Pinkham was found in Elmer City, about 15 miles south of Nespelem. 

When searching the abandoned vehicle, investigators found a puppy on the floorboard that Holt had taken from Pinkham’s house, according to the indictment.

Almost a year later, in August 2023, a citizen reported finding a firearm on the ground in Nespelem. Investigators concluded that the 9mm caliber CZ Scorpion, a semiautomatic rifle, was the weapon that fired at the trailer and Brakebill’s patrol car. Holt’s DNA was found on the grip tape.