Posted on 12/15/2007 6:46:46 AM PST by Excuse_My_Bellicosity
With his dog shot dead, his wife tied to a chair and his 16-month-old child asleep in a nearby bedroom, a West Valley City man took a gamble to end a home invasion robbery Thursday night.
As he was being dragged at gunpoint around his home in search of valuables to steal, the man snatched a gun from one of the invaders and pulled the trigger.
Jesse James Montoya, a suspected gang member, fell to the floor dead. A second home invader and a female accomplice fled the scene, and police were still looking for them.
Shortly after a woman knocked on the door, two men forced their way into a home, in the 3500 South block of 4400 West, about 10:20 p.m. Thursday, police said.
The invaders shot and killed the family's Great Dane dog, taped the homeowner's wife to a chair, and one of the intruders took the husband around the house at gunpoint looking for valuables, police said.
That's when the homeowner snatched the gun from Montoya and shot him, said West Valley City police Lt. Lamonte Cox. According to court records, Montoya was charged with second-degree felony attempted murder in 1994. He was also charged and pleaded guilty to third-degree felony aggravated assault the same year.
West Valley City police Sgt. Bill Merritt said investigators are determining how the robbers chose their victims. The homeowner said he hadn't met or seen Montoya before, which sets the incident apart from other home invasion robberies, Merritt said.
Random home robberies are unusual, Merritt said.
"We're looking for a possible link [between the homeowner and robbers]," he said. "Very rarely is it a random hit."
The homeowner on Friday evening declined an interview request through a relative, who said the man's attorney advised him not to speak to the media about the incident.
The couple's baby was not hurt, Cox said.
That's not how I read it at all.
To me, the inference was that in most home invasion cases, the invaders know or have met their intended victims.
"Random home robberies are unusual, (Police Sgt.) Merritt said." That is a statment of fact.
Its Christmas and we have a happy ending to this story.
Hey, hey! Only DEA SWAT teams can do that!
[”We’re looking for a possible link [between the homeowner and robbers],” he said. “>Very rarely is it a random hit.” ]
It is likely random as to the victim but the perps have studied him to determine potential reward vs. risk. They miscalculated here.
Its Christmas and we have a happy ending to this story.
Heck, just shooting a man’s dog is grounds enough to blast the scum bags. I agree, too bad the baby maker got away. She likely will breed like some sort of rat.
Its Christmas and we have a happy ending to this story.
Heck, just shooting a man’s dog is grounds enough to blast the scum bags. I agree, too bad the baby maker got away. She likely will breed like a sewer rat.
In Utah, it’s happening more and more. Not real long ago, there was a home invader two towns over that took a 12 gauge round to the chest. Solved his repeat-offender problem.
Sure. The first thing they did was shoot the dog.
If it turns out this guy was a drug dealer and the perps were after his money, I say the police should declare NHI, drop the investigation, and move on to another case.
West Valley has had a lot of home invasion robberies lately. It has become the favorite way for drug dealers to rip each other off in the area. Not sure if that’s the case here or if gang-boy decided to try it out at a random house.
If the jails weren’t crammed full of harmless potheads, there’d be room for scum like this. Violent criminals ought to get twenty-five years without parole on the first offense, and hanged in public on the second offense, every single time.
One less drunk on our freeways. Cool
Regards
I agree.
> Its Christmas and we have a happy ending to this story.
Not so. The life of the great dane wass worth far more than the lives of the criminals that invaded this home.
Too bad the other perps made it out alive.Maybe the homeowner was afraid to shoot them in the back as they were running out the door, rightfully worried about the possible legal repercussions in a country that still puts too high a value on the lives of criminals.
If the jails weren’t crammed full of harmless potheads...The jails aren't "crammed full of harmless potheads". Don't talk stupid.
I don’t read it that way. The cops are presuming that the perps somehow knew there were things in the house worth stealing. That could easily be thru a repairman or lawn service.
"Hello, my name is Jesse James Montoya. You shot me; I'm prepared to die."
Ding,ding,ding! Quickest wit of the thread....
I’m going to give the LEOs some slack here...
1) There is no way to know what the cop actually said, given the slovenly state of the media.
2) In a murder, you first look at the people around the victim. Its the highest percentage. Same thing with home invasion. The perps went there because they thought there were thing they could steal. A link could be something a innocent as a lawn service or repairman. The other real possibility is that they hit the wrong house. As we know, even the LEOs do that.
I love instant justice.
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