Almost a year after the brutal murder of an 18-year-old Nebraska man, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office has indicted a suspect. The victim, Parker League, had traveled from Nebraska to Phoenix to celebrate his high school graduation when his life was tragically cut short. His mutilated and burned body was discovered on June 12, 2023, in a remote desert area known as “The Pit” within the Tonto National Forest.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office apprehended 38-year-old Anthonie Ruinard on July 5, charging him with first-degree murder, multiple counts of narcotic drug possession and manufacture, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, theft and fraudulent use of a credit card, and concealment of a dead body or body parts.
The grand jury subsequently indicted Ruinard for murder and the transportation of a human body. The authorities were alerted to the suspect through transactions made with League’s bank card after his remains were discovered. The sheriff’s office presented its case to the prosecutors in October.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell stated that experienced homicide prosecutors in her office had meticulously reviewed nearly 4,000 pages of material related to the case. After five months of careful examination, they were able to secure the indictment. Mitchell emphasized that this was a crucial step towards achieving justice for Parker League and his grieving family.
Prosecutors revealed that League had been dismembered, stabbed, and burned beyond recognition, necessitating the use of dental records for positive identification. Detectives managed to secure video footage from various locations where League’s bank card was used posthumously.
The sheriff’s office reported that the victim and the suspect were seen together on video prior to League’s murder. Footage from an Arco gas station in Chandler, Arizona, on June 11 showed League and Ruinard leaving the store together in a black Dodge Challenger. This was the last known sighting of League alive.
Upon executing a search warrant on Ruinard’s residence and vehicle, detectives discovered evidence of League’s DNA in Ruinard’s car. League’s last known whereabouts was a house in Tempe, Arizona, where he was visiting friends and where his belongings were later found. League had last communicated with his brother on June 10, and was due to return to Nebraska on June 12, the day his body was discovered.
Hunter League, Parker’s brother, expressed to local media that the death has deeply affected his family, describing Parker as “the nicest kid in the world.” Ruinard is expected to stand trial in July.