In the early morning hours of February 8, 2020, the life of Dalton Wood, a 29-year-old Caucasian male from Ogden, Utah, was tragically cut short on a street in North Ogden. Just after midnight, police responded to calls of shots fired and discovered Wood lying in the road at 432 E. 1700 North. He had sustained a pistol wound to his chest and a shotgun blast to his lower extremities. Emergency responders transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.
Witnesses at the scene reported hearing two gunshots and seeing two people flee in a dark-colored SUV.
The investigation quickly led authorities to three suspects. The day after the shooting, North Ogden police, in collaboration with the Weber/Morgan Homicide Task Force, arrested Ryan Joseph Dash, then 32, Angela Lynn Valdez, 38, and Brian Christopher Jenson, then 28. The motive for the killing appeared to be a pre-existing conflict. According to police statements, Dash had previously assaulted Dalton Wood's brother. In response, Wood had reportedly threatened Dash, leading the two to arrange the meeting that would ultimately prove fatal.
During questioning, Ryan Joseph Dash confessed to the murder. He admitted to shooting Wood with both a handgun and a shotgun, stating that Wood had his hands in his pockets and did not brandish a weapon. After the killing, Dash attempted to cover his tracks by disassembling the firearms and throwing them off an overpass in Box Elder County, and burning his clothing in a church parking lot. The investigation also revealed that the firearms used in the homicide had been stolen just days prior from a care center in West Haven. Dash, a member of a white supremacist gang with a lengthy criminal history, had been released from prison on parole less than a month before the murder.
The legal process culminated in convictions for the primary individuals involved. Brian Christopher Jenson pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Ryan Joseph Dash ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree felony aggravated murder. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. He was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in the Utah State Prison for the murder of Dalton Wood.
