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Background: The area near the Wind River Reservation in Riverton, Wyo. (Google Maps). Inset (left): Jose A. Gonzalez (Fremont County Sheriff”s Office). Inset (right): Rex Allen Lofts (Davis Funeral Home).
A resident of Wyoming has been taken into custody, linked to the ambush killing of a man suspected of domestic violence.
Jose A. Gonzalez, aged 55, faces charges of first-degree murder following the death of 72-year-old Rex Allen Lofts. Local news source Cowboy State Daily reports that an agent from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), who was probing Lofts’ shooting death, revealed that multiple informants shared consistent accounts regarding the circumstances leading to Lofts’ demise. Lofts was discovered lifeless in his vehicle on April 21, 2025.
As investigations proceed, evidence points exclusively to Gonzalez as a suspect. He allegedly orchestrated Lofts’ visit to a location on the Wind River Reservation called “The Farm,” where five others lay in wait for the ambush.
The affidavit highlights E.E. as a key participant in the incident. Authorities noted that E.E. is the nephew of a woman whom Lofts dated in 2024, and whom Lofts reportedly abused. An informant disclosed that E.E.’s aunt arrived at his home visibly injured, with bruises and a bleeding nose. The informant further claimed that E.E. confessed to having “done it,” implying he was responsible for Lofts’ death.
Through informant interviews, authorities identified Gonzalez as the individual accompanying Lofts to the Farm. The affidavit states that Gonzalez’s DNA was detected on the steering wheel of Lofts’ truck, where his body was eventually located, as well as on Lofts’ emptied pants pockets.
Authorities believe the alleged crime took place around Dec. 2, 2024. The motivation, according to the informant who spoke with E.E., was retaliation for the alleged assault on E.E.’s aunt. E.E. reportedly told the informant that he wanted to “scare” Lofts “[b]ecause he kept putting his hands on my auntie.”
When the DCI agent spoke to Gonzalez, he said that he rode in the cab of Lofts’ truck with him to the Farm after Lofts believed that his girlfriend was there to have a talk. Authorities said that it was Gonzalez who told Lofts that she was there. When the two men arrived at the Farm, they were met by the five men, who were allegedly waiting for him and opened fire on Lofts. Gonzalez said that during the alleged shooting, he “kind of rolled out the side of the door.”
After the alleged shooting, three of the suspects moved Lofts’ body out of the driver’s seat, robbed him of $90, the jewelry he was wearing, his gun, and 3 grams of meth, officials say. One of the men allegedly got into the driver’s seat of Lofts’ red pickup, while E.E. and another suspect got into their own vehicle and followed behind as they drove to the location where Lofts’ pickup was eventually found with his remains inside.
According to Cowboy State Daily, Gonzalez was charged with first-degree murder, accessory before the fact of aggravated assault and battery, and accessory before the fact of aggravated robbery. He was booked into the Fremont County Jail, where he remains in custody. His next court date was not available.
No other suspects have been arrested in connection with the death of Lofts.