Defendant in Toineeta murder faces additional charges
Brandon Tyler Buchanan, 25, of Cherokee is now facing new criminal charges in addition to the first-degree murder charge he faces in the death of Kobe Toineeta, also a 25-year-old from Cherokee.
According to a Facebook post from the Cherokee Indian Police Department, both Buchanan and Ashlee Blaine Smith, 28, who shared a residence at the address where Toineeta died, are charged with possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule II, possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule IV and possession with intent to sell/deliver schedule VI.
During the homicide investigation, police executed a search warrant at the home and found 387 oxycodone 30-milligram pills, 99 clonazepam 2-milligram pills, more than 300 grams of marijuana, two firearms and $13,000 cash.
The homicide occurred between 4 and 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, at 868 Big Cove Road in Cherokee. Buchanan is accused of shooting Toineeta with a gun, killing him. The investigation is ongoing.
An obituary describes Toineeta as “an old soul who never met a stranger.” A 2015 graduate of Swain County High School, Toineeta was a talented all-around athlete who especially loved football, receiving MVP on the Cherokee Braves JV football team and All Conference his junior year on the Swain Maroon Devils football team. He was a partner in a local drywall company and enjoyed hunting, giving much of the fish and bear meat he got to Cherokee elders.
