EMIGRATION CANYON, Utah, June 3, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- A man has been jailed without bail after Unified police say he admitted torturing and killing his roommate's dog, then lighting a fire to destroy evidence.
Drake Davis Montgomery, 23, has been arrested for investigation of the alleged crimes of:
- Arson causing damages of more than $5,000 in property damage, a second-degree felony
- Torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony
Montgomery's arrest document says Unified Police officials responded to reports Monday of a man starting a fire in Emigration Canyon.
"Upon arrival, the police located Drake at the scene and conducted an investigation, which revealed that he had stabbed his roommate's dog to death and was attempting to dispose of the evidence. The deceased dog was found inside the trunk of Drake's vehicle, alongside burnt rags and cleaning fluid."
The court document says Montgomery told officers what had happened.
"Drake told the Unified Police and West Jordan Detectives that he punched his roommate's dog multiple times. He claimed that shortly after, he attempted to choke the dog, and when the dog began to fight back, he stabbed it several times with a kitchen knife.
"Drake stated that the dog had been mimicking him and causing him significant stress. He expressed a belief that the dog was not real, but rather a robot, as the dog was neuralinked to him, and he could no longer handle the situation."
Montgomery said he "attempted to dispose of the evidence by cleaning up the blood in his residence," the statement says.
"He put the dog, along with all the bloody cleaning supplies, in his vehicle to dispose of them in Emigration Canyon. Drake then took a gas can and began burning the cleaning supplies on the hillside. A shovel was also discovered in the trunk, next to the dog."
A witness saw Montgovery walking down an Emigration Canyon trail with a gas can, and smoke rising from the trail, arrest documents say.
"Drake admitted to starting the fire to burn the bloody items. A gas can and a lighter were located in Drake's vehicle. The fire investigator reported that the damage caused by the fire exceeded $5,000, and fire crews were required to extinguish the fire."
The arresting officer suggested Montgomery be held without bail due to signs of "mental instability" and ties to multiple states. He also had driver licenses from Arizona, Kentucky, Illinois and New Mexico, the document says.
Montgomery is listed as an inmate at the Salt Lake County jail.
