Eddie and Corinna Montoya talk at a press conference at the Denver Police Department about the disappearance and murder of their son, 26-year-old James Montoya. Jesus Arvizo, inset, has an outstanding warrant for first-degree murder in James Montoya's death, police say. (Press conference screengrab via Denver police YouTube; Arvizo photo via Denver police)
In the hours after Eddie Montoya's 26-year-old son James Montoya went missing, he talked on the phone with a man named Jesus Arvizo, who had met the younger Montoya at a Denver bar and left with him and a group of people for a night of partying.
Eddie Montoya had an inkling that something was off about Arvizo.
"I don't want to say this too boastfully, but we knew he was a suspect," he told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "We knew something was wrong the minute we were talking on the phone with him. We could pick up on his tone of voice, the way he was avoiding questions."
James Montoya and Arvizo, 33, left the bar in the early morning hours of April 2. When family members hadn't heard from James later that day, they reported him missing. His father feared the worst and called Arvizo a second time.
"We knew that he was there. We knew he was responsible for it, and that's why the next day when I warned him on the phone that we're gonna find my son's body, and you are going to have to deal with this eventually," Eddie Montoya said.
He was right about his son's body being found — 0n July 26, James Montoya's remains were found north of the Saguache County Municipal Airport, about 175 miles from where Denver police believe he was killed. Eddie Montoya also was correct about Arvizo being a suspect — on Tuesday, the Denver Police Department announced that they had signed a first-degree murder warrant for his arrest.
Cmdr. Matt Clark of the major crimes division for the Denver Police Department said detectives believe Arvizo and James Montoya got into an argument in a car, and Arvizo shot him dead. He then drove down to Saguache County and dumped the body, Clark said.
Prosecutors have charged 30-year-old Amber Dominguez, who was in the car when the shooting happened, with accessory, Clark said.
Police and the Montoya family held a press conference, urging the public for information about his whereabouts. Corinna Montoya, James' mother, also believed that Arvizo was involved.
"He sounded as if he was somebody who liked my son, who was friendly with my son, and to me that just shows the cold conscience that he has to be able to talk in a normal tone of voice, to say nothing happened when we believed something happened," she said.
Words can't express how hard it's been for her family since her son's disappearance and death, she said. She urged Arvizo to turn himself in.
"As you can imagine, this is the worst nightmare a family can experience," she said. "We know he's hiding. He's a dangerous person, and our family is in pain, and we would like some final resolution in this case."
Judon Montoya described his younger brother as the lifeline of the neighborhood when they were growing up.
"I am begging for any help," he said. "His laughter, his joy, his heart, his courage, his passion were so strong from when we were young kids. Everyone would know who James was. The fact that he was taken from us at such an early time, an unexpected time, it's just heartbreaking, and we want justice to be given for our brother."
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867) or online at https://shorturl.at/dfpL9.