SPOKANE, Wash. — Two men were convicted of murder in connection with a deadly shooting in Keller.
Zachary Holt, 24, and Dezmonique Tenzsley, 35, were found guilty Monday of all charges related to the killings of Jeremy Neal and Gale Neal in October 2022.
According to court documents, Holt and Tenzsley embarked on a six-week crime spree that began in Northern Idaho in September 2022 and continued until their arrests in Eastern Washington on Oct. 21, 2022. During this time, they committed home invasions and a robbery in Northern Idaho before taking their firearms and stolen property to Eastern Washington. There, they shot and killed Gale and Jeremy Neal around 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2022, in Keller. The Neals were shot twice inside their trailer during a botched robbery. Eyewitnesses told police that they saw three armed men wearing masks who arrived in a red sedan. Surveillance footage presented at trial showed the sedan arriving at 4:19 p.m. and leaving just two minutes and ten seconds later, at 4:21 p.m., shortly after the shooting.
, a Colville Tribal Police Sergeant, who was assisting the FBI with the investigation, was en route from Omak with his lights and sirens on when he heard dispatch describe the red sedan as a possible suspect vehicle. The sergeant, spotted the car traveling in the opposite direction, made a U-turn and pursued it.
The red sedan continued at a high speed, forcing Brakebill to drive about 80-85 miles per hour, roughly 40 miles per hour over the speed limit. The officer eventually pulled the car over, at which point two teenage girls exited the car, and another passenger fired a shotgun at him.
The red car fled the scene, leaving the two girls behind. The sergeant continued the pursuit and later found the car parked on the road ahead. Moments later, a suspect fired a shot through the officer’s windshield, striking him in the forearm. Despite the injury, the sergeant continued the chase and called for backup, but ultimately lost sight of the suspects’ car.
One of the girls later identified Holt, Curry Pinkham, and a third person she did not know as the men in the car. She told law enforcement that she and the other girl had met the men after a day of drinking. They had placed a duffel bag with several guns in the trunk of the car before being stopped by the sergeant. The description of the man matched Tenzsley, who had already been identified as a potential suspect by state and federal authorities.
On Oct. 21, authorities arrested Holt, Pinkham, and an “unidentified male.” Holt and Tenzsley were apprehended in the backyard of a home on Seventh Street in Nespelem after the homeowner called police to report trespassers. When officers arrived, the two men were held at gunpoint by the homeowner. Tenzsley was found in possession of 9mm ammunition, though no firearm was recovered.
Holt was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and 16 other charges, including assault and the attempted murder of a federal officer. Tenzsley was convicted of two counts of felony murder in Indian country and 13 additional charges.
Sentencing for both men is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2025.
According to the Spokesman-Review, sentencing for their getaway driver, Curry Pinkham, who signed a plea deal and testified against Holt and Tenzsley, is set for Dec. 4.
