TOOELE COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 26, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol has made a murder arrest after a body with multiple bullet wounds was found Feb. 15 near Interstate 80 in Tooele County.
The body has been identified as that of Anthony Bracamonte, of Ogden. The murder suspect in custody is Bracamonte’s friend, 30-year-old Alex Alejandro Moore.
Discovery
Officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene, near mile marker 93, after the body of a middle-aged Hispanic man was located. An autopsy and fingerprints would later confirm the deceased as Bracamonte.
The body was found near a dozen spent shell casings, in an area with red-brown stains that appeared to be blood. Swabs were taken.
Between the body and the roadway, two new-looking T-shirts were found. They were size 2XL/tall, and had GEN-X store tags still on them.
A trooper and an agent of the State Bureau of Investigation interviewed Bracamonte’s Ogden girlfriend, who told police she had last seen him Feb. 11, when she and the victim had argued.
Bracamonte, who was intoxicated, got in a car and left with Moore and another male, the girlfriend told police.
When told where Bracamonte’s body was found, the girlfriend told officers the men had mentioned going to Wendover, the statement says.
She told officers that on the next day, Feb. 12, at about 11 a.m., Moore came over to her residence, which was unusual because Moore only came over with Bracamonte.
“She said that Alex told her that Anthony was acting crazy” and asking for food, Moore’s affidavit says.
Moore told the girlfriend that he, Bracamonte and the third man went to get hot food, “got into an argument over a tip on the credit card machine, and Anthony threw the food.”
Moore’s story (to the girlfriend) said they continued in the car “and that Anthony tried to get out of the car. Alex eventually left him on the side of the freeway. Additionally Alex tells (her) that his gun was missing that he kept in his car,” the affidavit states.
Interviews
A clerk at an Ogden convenience store found a wallet belonging to Bracamonte, and surveillance footage showed all three men had been there.
“SBI Agents went to the GEN-X Store in West Valley,” Moore’s arrest document says. “The SKU from the two shirts, one navy and one black, was sold on the 11th. Surveillance footage from the store shows Alex and another unknown male Hispanic arrive the store around 1300 hours.”
Officers also talked to the girlfriend’s sister, who previously dated Moore, the affidavit says. The sister provided officers with Moore’s phone number. Officers made multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact Moore.
St. George arrest
On Saturday, Feb. 25, troopers spotted Moore’s orange Dodge Dart traveling south in Washington County. Troopers were assisted by St. George Police, and approached Moore when he stopped at a service station.
“The officer told Alex that some detective would like to talk to him. Alex went with the officers to Washington Police Station.
“Alex told that he had went to Anthony’s house to pick him up with D.T. They went to the Chevron to get food. They got thrown out of a liquor store so they went back to Alex’s house to drink alcohol. Alex told agents he then went to Anthony’s house. Anthony started breaking pictures and stuff in the apartment.
“Alex said he became concerned that the police were coming, so D.T., Anthony, and he went to Alex’s house. They decided to go to Wendover. Alex said that his mother joined them and they headed to Wendover.”
Moore said Bracamonte tried to kiss his mother, and ” they told Anthony to get out of the car” while on I-80.
“Then Alex said that he went home and later came back to look for Anthony until about 6 a.m. Alex spoke of Anthony in the past tense. He told agents that his Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun was stolen after the last time he saw Anthony. Alex said that T-Mobile was having trouble with his phone and he factory reset his phone wiping all information.”
“When told that Anthony was found dead … he did not seem surprised. Alex told agents that, ‘it was my gun that killed him.’ He told agents that he was done.”
The suspect said in an SBI interview that Bracamonte had touched Moore’s mother in a sexually inappropriately manner.
“Alex and Anthony began physically fighting on the side of I-80. D.T. said that Alex shot Anthony about five times. After Anthony went down, DT said, Alex stood over him shooting him in the face about five more times. DT recalled that they drove down I-80 throwing Alex’s phone and the gun out of the car.”
Moore was taken to the Washington County jail for later transport to Tooele County.
Also arrested in the case was David Tenis, 32, who was charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
