After three months of investigation, South Jordan police have made an arrest in the killing of a man whose body was found in the trunk of a car that was set on fire.
Dillon Edward Noble, 30, was arrested Monday for investigation of murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault resulting in serious injury and obstructing justice in connection with the death of Joseph Lee "Gino" Montoya, 50.
On Nov. 24, Montoya's body was found in his burning Mercedes near 11700 S. Bingham Rim Road.
Two days later, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration who were conducting a separate drug trafficking investigation near 6500 S. Redwood Road contacted South Jordan police to tell them their case may have a connection to the car fire, according to court documents.
DEA agents had placed a tracking device on a vehicle, a Jaguar, as part of their case. The vehicle was recorded as being at the house on Redwood Road before going to an address near 5950 S. 4100 West and then at the same location where Montoya's body was found, a police booking affidavit states. Police say the Jaguar belonged to Denis Madsen, 61, who lives at the Redwood Road address along with Noble and Noble's father, Caile Noble, 65.
DEA agents also "intercepted video footage of an altercation occurring on Nov. 24 around 5:48 p.m. in the parking area of the Redwood house" between Montoya and others, police said.
According to information gathered by detectives, there was a confrontation between Montoya and Madsen during which Madsen was knocked to the ground and possibly knocked unconscious. Another witness told investigators that Montoya "was pushing Denis around and then went toward Dillon. Dillon punched (Montoya) once in the face and (he) fell to the ground. Dillon got on top of (him) and hit him five to six more times," according to the affidavit.
One person told police that Montoya was "'snoring' which is common with agonal breathing," according to investigators. Montoya was then loaded into the trunk of his car and "Dillon later opened the trunk of the vehicle and then punched (him) three to four more times in the face," the affidavit alleges.
"It was later found, (Montoya) suffered multiple injuries to include a broken nose, broken hyoid bone (neck bone) and skull fractures behind the nose," according to the affidavit. "(Montoya) did not suffer any defensive wounds, showing he did not fight back.
"Dillon inflicted bodily injury to (Montoya) and then kidnapped him by placing him in the trunk of his vehicle, and then continued to inflict bodily injury to (him) while he was already clearly incapacitated and not defending himself," police wrote in the arrest report.
The Jaguar was seized by police on Nov. 30 and Madsen was questioned by detectives.
"Mr. Madsen cooperated once he was informed of the video surveillance on the Redwood Road home and the tracking device on his Jaguar," according to a motion filed in 3rd District Court for Madsen's car to be forfeited. "Mr. Madsen denied any involvement in harming the victim before he was put in the trunk, claiming that the victim had knocked him out and that he couldn't take a life. However, he admitted that he drove the Mercedes to the crime scene while Mr. (Caile) Noble followed in the Jaguar. Mr. Madsen also admitted to dousing the Mercedes with gasoline and igniting it, which he claimed were on Mr. Noble's orders."
Dillon Noble stayed behind at the house while the others took Montoya away and "destroyed the camera system" at the residence which may have recorded the confrontation, according to the affidavit.
Madsen claims later that night, he and Caile Noble also "went out to the driveway looking for blood evidence and turning over dirt to get rid of any evidence," court document state.
Calie Noble, Madsen and John Shields, who also lived at the Redwood Road house, were indicted by a federal grand jury in December along with eight others on drug distribution and money laundering charges.
On Feb. 13, a motion was filed in 3rd District Court for Madsen's car to be forfeited.
"The DEA had evidence that Mr. Madsen bought the Jaguar from Mr. (Calie) Noble, that he lived in Mr. Noble's basement and that in October, the Jaguar was involved in a drug trafficking operation where it was stopped coming from California with 60 pounds of methamphetamine. Mr. Madsen and Mr. Noble are under federal indictment on narcotic distribution and money laundering charges," the motion for forfeiture states.