A former soldier pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering another soldier during a drug robbery in 2017, according to public court records.

Zachary Johnston was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the killing of Tyler K. Croke, 23, an Afghanistan veteran, at Croke’s apartment in El Paso, Texas, on May 7, 2017, the court records show.

Croke died of stab wounds to his neck, police said at the time.

Johnston was previously stationed at Fort Bliss, though post officials did not immediately have his service history available Monday morning. The former soldier was one of five who in 2017 entered Croke’s apartment wielding a shotgun and knives.

One of the five suspects arrested at the time was a soldier currently assigned to Fort Bliss, named Brandon Olsen. Johnston and another man, Adam Acosta, were recently separated from the Army at the time of the incident.

The two other suspects were Tristan Chilton and Stephanie Fernandez.

Chilton told investigators he helped hold Croke’s legs as Olsen and Johnston wrestled him to the floor, according to a complaint affidavit filed in May 2017. Johnston then stabbed Croke in the neck and slashed his throat. Afterward, Olsen allegedly continued to stab Croke as he attempted to crawl away.

Police responded to the scene after a neighbor complained about the noise, which they described as stomping and a man pleading for his life. By the time police arrived, the suspects had already fled in a Nissan Xterra, but their departure was logged on surveillance video.

Tyler K. Croke was murdered by a current soldier and two former soldiers during a robbery in El Paso, Texas, in May 2017.

Johnson and Acosta were apprehended by Las Cruces police officers in New Mexico and sent back to El Paso in the weeks following the murder.

The El Paso Times reported that Johnston appeared during the hearing bruised and battered. A separate note on his jail records indicates that he has been charged with assault of a public servant.

Johnston’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment made by telephone Sunday evening.

Croke served as an infantryman with 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss and was working to separate from the Army at the time of his murder. He served in Paktika province, Afghanistan, in 2014. Croke is survived by his wife and son.

The cases of Johnston’s co-defendents are still pending in court, with the exception of Fernandez, who received a life sentence in March 2018 for her role in the murder.

During a video interrogation shown in court at her trial, Fernandez admitted to being the getaway driver, according to the El Paso Times.

Fernandez claimed Acosta held a shotgun, while Johnston and Olsen brandished knives to force their way into Croke’s apartment. After being stabbed and bound, Croke still managed to break free and crawl away from his attackers before Johnston went up to Croke and cut his throat, she said.

The group stole a backpack with three bags of what appeared to be either cocaine or ketamine, Fernandez said, according to the El Paso Times.

The men attempted to bleach the knives used in the slaying and burned their clothes before fleeing, Fernandez recounted. Acosta, Olsen and Chilton were also charged with capital murder, according to court records.

Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.

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