Arkansas man faces murder charges after woman fatally shot, stuffed in suitcase

David Houston-Harvey. Photo by Arkansas Department of Corrections
David Houston-Harvey. Photo by Arkansas Department of Corrections

A grand jury indicted a central Arkansas man on murder charges after he allegedly shot a woman to death and stuffed her body into a suitcase before returning to Arkansas from Colorado, prosecutors said Monday.

Prosecutors in Colorado allege David Houston-Harvey, 25, of Jacksonville shot and then hid the body of 23-year-old Laramie Cline while they were traveling to Denver.

Authorities said the 2017 shooting stemmed from an argument after Cline said she wanted to stay in Colorado, but Houston-Harvey wanted to go back to Arkansas or Alabama.

He faces first- and second-degree murder charges, as well as robbery and aggravated theft in Weld County, a county just northeast of Denver.

Houston-Harvey is currently a year into a 12-year sentence at an Arkansas state prison in Tucker after pleading guilty to felonies stemming from dumping Cline’s body last year.

Authorities said he shoved Cline’s body in a suitcase before dumping her body in Arkansas but didn’t charge him with her death.

Arkansas State Police found Cline’s car just west of Pinnacle Mountain in Little Rock after she’d been reported missing.

Investigators found dried blood in the vehicle and later arrested Houston-Harvey.

He told investigators at the time that Cline, an Alabama resident, tried robbing him while they were traveling, according to court documents. He reportedly said he shot her during a struggle for the gun.

According to the latest indictment, he later told his girlfriend that he shot and killed Cline as she slept.

No court date has been set for the latest charges.

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