Reports differ on the name of the Utah facility where Levi Spencer Cotton is being held as he awaits possible extradition to Guadalupe County. News 4 San Antonio reported he was at the Salt Lake County Detention Center, while KENS 5 placed him at the Salt Lake City detention center. KENS 5 reported that authorities had not said whether Cotton would waive extradition, which could affect the timing of a transfer to Texas.
Cotton, 32, a former Seguin-area resident, was arrested Tuesday at his workplace in Salt Lake City and charged with murder in the July 4, 2017, death of Joe James Rangel. News 4 San Antonio reported that the warrant charges Cotton with murder and that no bond had been set as of Thursday, November 5. Cotton is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. KENS 5 reported that the Guadalupe County Attorney’s Office, Texas Rangers and Utah Department of Public Safety were involved.
The case and renewed investigation
Rangel, 57, was found dead inside his home in the 200 block of Shady Lane in the Meadow Lake subdivision. News 4 San Antonio reported that he had been shot multiple times and that his death was ruled a homicide. The Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers case page says the sheriff’s office was dispatched to the scene at 6:30 a.m. on July 4, 2017.
KENS 5 reported that investigators found nine spent 9-millimeter shell casings and interviewed people who had attended a party at Rangel’s home. The station said the sheriff’s office received two Crime Stoppers tips in 2020 identifying Cotton; one tipster alleged Cotton had confessed and described details of the shooting. News 4 San Antonio reported investigators learned in 2017 that an unidentified man was said to have been at Rangel’s home the night before his death, but had not identified him.
According to KENS 5, Sheriff Joshua Ray said the case gained new momentum in February after the department hired cold-case investigator Charlie Drake. The Seguin Gazette had previously reported that the sheriff’s office was cleared to create a part-time position for cold-case work. KENS 5 reported that Ray credited community tips with helping investigators and said the case remains active, with more work ahead.
Texas cold-case resources
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created on Sept. 1, 2001, to give Texas law enforcement agencies a process for investigating unsolved murders and certain linked criminal events. DPS says the Texas Rangers’ cold-case website lists information on more than 140 unsolved or cold cases, though it is not comprehensive.
