PLUMMER - Police on Monday investigating a Plummer murder didn't say what the motive was for the brutal stabbing that occurred early Sunday.

But the Benewah County prosecutor said an encounter at a Spokane bar between the 37-year-old male victim and the murder suspects occurred some time late Saturday or early Sunday, and possibly set off a deadly chain of events.

A woman who lives next door to where the slaying occurred said jealousy over a woman might have been at least one trigger, along with possibly booze and drugs.

Antowny D. Swiney, who was killed Sunday, was stabbed "lots" of times at a home within the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Housing Authority neighborhood in the south portion of Plummer, Benewah County Prosecutor Douglas Paul Payne said Monday.

He said he doesn't expect to have a completed police report detailing the incident until early next week, but the preliminary investigation shows the two sides made contact at Chan's Dragon Inn on the 1400 block of west Third Avenue in Spokane, some time before the killing in Plummer.

The next-door neighbor, Frances White, said she knew Swiney as "Tony," the homeowner's recent boyfriend. White said Swiney had been living in the home. Police said he had a previous address in Spokane.

White said the homeowner previously dated Jody A. Miller, 41, who police said was arrested along with three other people and each charged with first-degree murder.

White said she believes the homeowner's relationships with the two men drove one to allegedly kill the other.

"A man died because of that love," White said.

Neither hard partying nor fighting are unusual in the tribal housing neighborhood, she said.

"What a great tragedy has come from the use of alcohol and drugs," White said.

Police on Sunday had said the four individuals charged had been celebrating Jody Miller's 40th birthday in Spokane before taking off for Plummer.

White woke in the middle of the night to wild partying next door. She tried to shut it out, but later she heard people running around the house, screaming and yelling in a panic.

"I knew it was very bad when the ambulance left here with (Swiney), going very slowly," White said.

She said both Miller and Swiney were friendly to her, but Miller was more outgoing and Swiney more reserved.

Also arrested were Stephen R. Milton, 22; Irael S. Kennedy, 21; and a woman, Kelly A. Miller, 40, all from the Spokane area. Jody Miller also is from Spokane.

Payne said the case against them has the potential to end up in a federal court.

He said part of the crime might have occurred in Spokane, before fatally ending in Plummer, crossing the Idaho-Washington state line in the process.

For now, though, Payne expects to arraign all four in 1st District Court in Benewah County, in St. Maries.

He expects they'll make their first court appearance this week, likely in front of Magistrate Patrick McFadden.

Jody Miller has a criminal history that spans 31 years, qualifying him as an armed career criminal.

Lt. Fred Swanson, of the Idaho State Police, said Monday that preliminary autopsy results are expected to be released today from the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office. Swanson said Swiney suffered multiple stab wounds, and police have at least one alleged murder weapon in their possession.

It's a joint investigation being run by the Plummer police department and ISP, Swanson said. Plummer Police Chief Les Hall couldn't immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Payne said the four people arrested and the victim are not tribal members.

He said Jody Miller and Kennedy were being held on $1 million bonds, while Milton and Kelly Miller were being held on $500,000 bonds. He said they are going to be transferred from the Spokane jail to North Idaho jails. He said there is not enough space for all four to be held in St. Maries in separate cells.

The county also doesn't have enough public defenders to represent the four, so it will have to contract with a lawyer to represent one of the individuals.

Spokane County sheriff's office investigators spent 12 hours Sunday locating and arresting the four.

ISP investigators learned the four headed back to Spokane following the killing and asked Spokane law enforcement for help.