diff --git a/in_toto/keylib.go b/in_toto/keylib.go
index b6024d08..fdfbe1e0 100644
--- a/in_toto/keylib.go
+++ b/in_toto/keylib.go
@@ -325,8 +325,8 @@ func ParseEd25519FromPrivateJSON(JSONString string) (Key, error) {
 		return keyObj, fmt.Errorf("this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key")
 	}
 
-	if keyObj.KeyVal.Private == "" {
-		return keyObj, fmt.Errorf("this key is not a private key")
+	if err := validatePrivateKey(keyObj); err != nil {
+		return keyObj, err
 	}
 
 	// 64 hexadecimal digits => 32 bytes for the private portion of the key
@@ -360,8 +360,8 @@ func ParseEd25519FromPublicJSON(JSONString string) (Key, error) {
 		return keyObj, fmt.Errorf("this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key")
 	}
 
-	if keyObj.KeyVal.Private != "" {
-		return keyObj, fmt.Errorf("this key is not a public key")
+	if err := validatePubKey(keyObj); err != nil {
+		return keyObj, err
 	}
 
 	// 64 hexadecimal digits => 32 bytes for the public portion of the key
diff --git a/in_toto/keylib_test.go b/in_toto/keylib_test.go
index 15012f69..70378085 100644
--- a/in_toto/keylib_test.go
+++ b/in_toto/keylib_test.go
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ func TestParseEd25519FromPrivateJSON(t *testing.T) {
 
 	expectedErrors := []string{
 		"this is not a valid JSON key object",
-		"this key is not a private key",
+		"in key '308e3f53523b632983a988b72a2e39c85fe8fc967116043ce51fa8d92a6aef64': private key cannot be empty",
 		"the private field on this key is malformed",
 		"this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key",
 		"this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key",
@@ -386,11 +386,11 @@ func TestGenerateEd25519Signature(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestLoad25519PublicKey(t *testing.T) {
 	var key Key
-	if err := key.LoadEd25519PublicKey("bob.pub"); err != nil {
+	if err := key.LoadEd25519PublicKey("carol.pub"); err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("Failed to load ed25519 public key from file: (%s)", err)
 	}
 
-	expectedPubKey := "e8912b58f47ae04a65d7437e3c82eb361f82d952b4d1b3dc5d90c6f37d7aac70"
+	expectedPubKey := "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037"
 	if expectedPubKey != key.KeyVal.Public {
 		t.Errorf("Loaded pubkey is not the expected key")
 	}
@@ -434,10 +434,10 @@ func TestParseEd25519FromPublicJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		expectedError string
 	}{
 		{"not a json", "this is not a valid JSON key object"},
-		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "e8912b58f47ae04a65d7437e3c82eb361f82d952b4d1b3dc5d90c6f37d7aac70", "private": "861fd1b466cfc6f73"}}`, "this key is not a public key"},
-		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "e8912b58f47ae04a65d74"}}`, "the public field on this key is malformed"},
-		{`{"keytype": "25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "e8912b58f47ae04a65d7437e3c82eb361f82d952b4d1b3dc5d90c6f37d7aac70"}}`, "this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key"},
-		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "cd25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "e8912b58f47ae04a65d7437e3c82eb361f82d952b4d1b3dc5d90c6f37d7aac70"}}`, "his doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key"},
+		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid": "d7c0baabc90b7bf218aa67461ec0c3c7f13a8a5d8552859c8fafe41588be01cf", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037", "private": "4cedf4d3369f8c83af472d0d329aedaa86265b74efb74b708f6a1ed23f290162"}}`, "private key found"},
+		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid": "d7c0baabc90b7bf218aa67461ec0c3c7f13a8a5d8552859c8fafe41588be01cf", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64"}}`, "the public field on this key is malformed"},
+		{`{"keytype": "25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid": "d7c0baabc90b7bf218aa67461ec0c3c7f13a8a5d8552859c8fafe41588be01cf", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037"}}`, "this doesn't appear to be an ed25519 key"},
+		{`{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ec25519", "keyid": "d7c0baabc90b7bf218aa67461ec0c3c7f13a8a5d8552859c8fafe41588be01cf", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037"}}}`, "this is not a valid JSON key object"},
 	}
 
 	for _, table := range tables {
@@ -446,12 +446,4 @@ func TestParseEd25519FromPublicJSON(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("ParseEd25519FromPublicJSON returned (%s), expected '%s'", err, table.expectedError)
 		}
 	}
-
-	// Generated through in-toto run 0.4.1 and thus it should be a happy key
-	validKey := `{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "e8912b58f47ae04a65d7437e3c82eb361f82d952b4d1b3dc5d90c6f37d7aac70"}}`
-	_, err := ParseEd25519FromPublicJSON(validKey)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Errorf("ParseEd25519FromPublicJSON returned (%s), expected no error",
-			err)
-	}
 }
diff --git a/in_toto/model.go b/in_toto/model.go
index b8713520..867ca1b2 100644
--- a/in_toto/model.go
+++ b/in_toto/model.go
@@ -63,6 +63,19 @@ func validatePubKey(key Key) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+/*
+validatePrivateKey is a general function to validate if a key is a valid private key.
+*/
+func validatePrivateKey(key Key) error {
+	if err := validateHexString(key.KeyId); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("keyid: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+	if key.KeyVal.Private == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("in key '%s': private key cannot be empty", key.KeyId)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 /*
 validateRSAPubKey checks if a passed key is a valid RSA public key.
 */
diff --git a/in_toto/model_test.go b/in_toto/model_test.go
index 4100e219..4d010d28 100644
--- a/in_toto/model_test.go
+++ b/in_toto/model_test.go
@@ -1171,7 +1171,7 @@ func TestMetablockSignWithEd25519(t *testing.T) {
 	pubkey := `{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid": "308e3f53523b632983a988b72a2e39c85fe8fc967116043ce51fa8d92a6aef64", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8f93f549eb4cca8dc2142fb655ba2d0955d1824f79474f354e38d6a359e9d440", "private": ""}}`
 
 	badkey, err := ParseEd25519FromPrivateJSON(pubkey)
-	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "this key is not a private key") {
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "private key cannot be empty") {
 		t.Errorf("Metablock.Sign returned (%s), expected it to claim this "+
 			"key is not a private key", err)
 
diff --git a/test/data/carol.pub b/test/data/carol.pub
index 1af4d653..e80d7f25 100644
--- a/test/data/carol.pub
+++ b/test/data/carol.pub
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037"}}
\ No newline at end of file
+{"keytype": "ed25519", "scheme": "ed25519", "keyid": "d7c0baabc90b7bf218aa67461ec0c3c7f13a8a5d8552859c8fafe41588be01cf", "keyid_hash_algorithms": ["sha256", "sha512"], "keyval": {"public": "8c93f633f2378cc64dd7cbb0ed35eac59e1f28065f90cbbddb59878436fec037"}}
\ No newline at end of file