Body found last week that of Billings homicide victim

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - A body found in a shallow grave about 50 miles north of Billings is that of homicide victim Rory Wanner.

Billings police confirmed the identification on Friday, five days after the body was found near Roundup.

The Billings Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/2feCOiW ) 35-year-old Michael Scott LeClair and 37-year-old William James Hoffert III were charged this week with evidence tampering. LeClair has posted a $50,000 bond while Hoffert remains jailed with his bail set at $700,000. He faces a separate criminal endangerment charge.

Court records say a witness, Tyler Crawford, told officers that Wanner was lured to his house where LeClair fought with him. Later, Crawford said people noticed Wanner wasn’t breathing.

Crawford told investigators LeClair and Hoffert removed Wanner’s body while he cleaned up the house. Charges have not yet been filed in Wanner’s death.

___

Information from: The Billings Gazette, https://www.billingsgazette.com