A 55-year-old Wyoming man is facing a Wyoming first-degree murder charge after investigators say he helped orchestrate an ambush-style killing tied to allegations of domestic abuse.
Jose A. Gonzalez was arrested and charged in connection with the death of 72-year-old Rex Allen Lofts, whose body was discovered inside his red pickup truck months after authorities believe he was fatally shot. According to a probable cause affidavit cited by Cowboy State Daily, the fatal encounter allegedly unfolded on the Wind River Reservation at a property locally referred to as “The Farm.”
Law enforcement officials with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) began piecing together the case after Lofts was found dead on April 21, 2025. Investigators say multiple informants provided similar accounts of what happened in early December 2024, when the shooting is believed to have occurred.
Prosecutors allege Gonzalez lured Lofts to the rural property under the pretense that Lofts’ girlfriend wanted to meet him there. Authorities claim Gonzalez rode in the cab of Lofts’ truck to the location. DNA evidence reportedly linked Gonzalez to the vehicle, including samples recovered from the steering wheel and from Lofts’ turned-out pants pockets.
According to investigators, five other individuals were waiting at the site when Lofts arrived. Gonzalez later told authorities that once they reached the property, gunfire erupted. During questioning, he reportedly stated that he “kind of rolled out the side of the door” as the shooting began.
Central to the alleged motive is a man identified in court documents as E.E., who authorities say is the nephew of a woman Lofts had dated in 2024. Informants told investigators that the woman had appeared at E.E.’s home bruised and “bleeding from her nose.” One informant said E.E. later confided that he had “done it,” referring to Lofts’ killing.
According to the affidavit, E.E. allegedly told an informant he wanted to “scare” Lofts “[b]ecause he kept putting his hands on my auntie.” Authorities believe the attack was planned as retaliation for the alleged assault.
After the shooting, investigators say three of the suspects removed Lofts from the driver’s seat and took $90 in cash, jewelry, a firearm, and approximately three grams of methamphetamine. One suspect allegedly drove Lofts’ truck to the remote location where it was later discovered, while E.E. and another individual followed in a separate vehicle.
Despite the alleged involvement of multiple individuals, Gonzalez is currently the only person formally charged. He faces counts of first-degree murder, accessory before the fact of aggravated assault and battery, and accessory before the fact of aggravated robbery. Court records show he is being held at the Fremont County Jail. A future court date has not yet been publicly listed.
As of now, no additional arrests have been announced. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to review forensic evidence and witness statements connected to the fatal shooting.
