![\"Noel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/68b2246e6381b.webp.webp\")
Noel Gutierrez-Cano, 29, was riding in a vehicle involved in a three-car crash on U.S. Highway 24 on Aug. 26, 2025. People in the wreck found his body. (Courtesy of El Paso County Sheriff\u2019s Office).<\/p>\n
Authorities say he was shot three times in the head. <\/p>\n
El Paso County Judge Robin Chittum ruled that there was enough evidence to charge the suspect in the case, defendant Jose Cruz Diaz Vazquez, with first-degree murder, among other offenses.<\/p>\n
Whitehead told the court that he learned during the investigation that Gutierrez-Cano was supposed to testify against someone in a grand jury, though he didn\u2019t know the circumstances of the case. Whitehead suggested that a unspecified Mexican cartel put out the \u201chit\u201d against him.<\/p>\n
During an interview with Whitehead, the defendant denied any cartel involvement, but he told the detective that he suspected Gutierrez-Cano might have been in a cartel.<\/p>\n
According to Whitehead, Diaz Vazquez said he overheard a phone call between Gutierrez-Cano and someone he called \u201ccomandante,\u201d the Spanish version of \u2018commander.\u2019 The alleged call happened at a hotel in Denver the night before the killing.<\/p>\n
After the call, the defendant told Whitehead that Gutierrez-Cano was visibly scared. Some time later, a car showed up at their hotel, and the victim hopped in.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not clear what exactly happened that night, Whitehead said the autopsy report suggested that Gutierrez-Cano was beaten before being shot.<\/p>\n
The victim\u2019s body was found after the Tuesday morning wreck lying in the passenger seat of a stolen pickup truck, a white GMC Sierra. The truck was hauling a stolen black trailer, which contained two ATVs that were stolen in Steamboat Springs days before the shooting, according to previous Gazette reporting.<\/p>\n
![\"Colorado](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Copy-of-Untitled-Design10.webp.webp\")
The black trailer and white GMC Sierra pickup involved in an August wreck. (Grace Brajkovich, The Gazette)<\/p>\n
Authorities tied Diaz Vazquez, a 26-year-old allegedly undocumented immigrant from Mexico, to the killing through several key pieces of evidence.<\/p>\n
Whitehead said he found shell casings belonging to a .22 caliber firearm inside the stolen Sierra, along with a backpack that contained items used in carjackings. <\/p>\n
The defendant was also linked to the scene of the car wreck. <\/p>\n
A tipster told the El Paso County Sheriff\u2019s Office that he saw another truck pick someone up farther down the road from the wreck, The Gazette previously reported. Minutes later, authorities stopped that truck after it made an illegal turn off the highway onto Judge Orr Road.<\/p>\n
Whitehead said he viewed screenshots of body-camera footage showing Diaz Vazquez in the passenger seat of that truck, which was also stolen. During the encounter with police, the defendant\u2019s hands are seen reaching under the seat to either \u201chide or get something,\u201d according to his arrest papers.<\/p>\n
The vehicle was impounded and later searched. Under the passenger seat of the truck, investigators found a .22 handgun and an ammunition box that had 10 rounds missing: six believed to be in the gun and the other four believed to be used to shoot Gutierrez-Cano. <\/p>\n
Diaz Vazquez\u2019s wife and two of his neighbors in Commerce City also told investigators that the defendant allegedly confessed to the shooting, Whitehead said.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 3, he was arrested in Las Vegas, N.M. Investigators said his truck was \u201cpacked to the limit\u201d with personal belongings that suggested he was moving. Whitehead said he also found a shirt that had apparent bloodstains on it, adding it appeared to be the same one Diaz Vazquez was wearing during his traffic stop on Aug. 26.<\/p>\n
The judge\u2019s ruling on Friday means Diaz Vazquez could see a jury trial unless he pleads guilty to the shooting. He is scheduled to enter a plea on April 23.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, he is in the El Paso County jail on a $500,000 bond.<\/p>\n
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