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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police have identified a person of interest from an October home invasion that led to the death of one of the intruders.
Investigators were looking Friday for Theron Myore, 42, in connection with an attempted robbery that took place at the end of October, according to West Valley Deputy Police Chief Mike Powell. Myore is believed to have information about the crime.
Myore is a Native American man who drives a silver 2012 Dodge Ram 2500 with Utah plates reading C424SZ, according to police.
On Oct. 30, three men showed up at 7133 W. Chula Drive (3705 South) about 5:15 a.m., in what police believe was an attempted "drug rip." Court records indicate that the men believed there was a large amount of drugs and money at the house.
The homeowner, who had gone outside to warm up his car, came across the three armed men. He chased one of them, 29-year-old Robert Ebere, inside the house where Ebere held one of the women in the home at gunpoint.
The homeowner and his brother fought the man off and reportedly knocked out the gunman with a choke hold while an 8-year-old called 911. The other two intruders ran away.
Ebere died two days later from injuries he sustained in the invasion. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against the homeowner, Javier Mendoza-Trujillo, saying the death was a result of self-defense.
But after investigators served a search warrant on Mendoza-Trujillo's house and vehicle, he was indicted federally on Oct. 31 with drug distribution. He told investigators that he "is in the business of selling cocaine and has been selling approximately 2 kilos per month since December of 2012," according to the indictment.
During the search, officers found a hidden compartment underneath the floor in Mendoza-Trujillo's house where they found cocaine and money. They found more cocaine — about half of a pound — and more cash in a hidden compartment in his van, the indictment states. Investigators said they seized approximately 4.1 kilos of cocaine from the house and van, approximately $48,000 in cash and two vehicles.
If convicted, Mendoza-Trujillo faces up to 40 years in federal prison with a minimum-mandatory of five years.
Anyone who has seen Myore or has information about the case should contact West Valley police at 801-840-4000.
Contributing: Pat Reavy
