A suspect has been arrested in the death of a semi-truck driver that was found dead at an off-ramp off of I-80 in September.
Jaswinder Singh Dhillon, 46, from Washington state, is facing charges of criminal homicide, aggravated murder; and kidnapping, both first-degree felonies.
Dispatchers received a call on Sept. 26 around 9:48 a.m. from an individual who explained that his friend had been killed inside of a semi-truck, according to a probable cause statement written by an arresting officer and signed by the Tooele County attorney.
Utah Highway Patrol officers were dispatched to the location at the on-ramp near milepost 70 on I-80 eastbound. Upon arrival, officers discovered a deceased male in the sleeper area of the truck cab.
The male, identified by Highway Patrol officers as Jaspinder Singh, was lying on his stomach and appeared to have lacerations to the area around his neck and lower extremities. A large amount of red-brown staining consistent in appearance with blood was discovered on the bed and pillow, according to the pc statement.
Video footage from gas stations along with license plate reader data and cell phone location data from an app used by the deceased and his friends lead investigators to a light-colored Mercedes sedan.
The Mercedes remained behind or near Dhillon's semi-truck for a distance of over 60 miles in Utah alone. The semi-truck was also located near Reno, Nevada at 6:33 p.m. the previous evening. The Mercedes was noted at the same location in Reno at 6:34 p.m.
Investigators reviewed security camera footage from a gas station at the Pilot in Winnemucca, Nevada. Both the victim and Dhillon appeared to be at the location at the same time.
On Oct. 10-11, investigators obtained photos of the white Mercedes and the driver of the vehicle. The agent noted that the driver closely resembled the physical characteristics and description of the individual who could be seen on camera at the Pilot gas station. The photos also resembled the driver license photo for the registered owner of the vehicle, Dhillon.
On Oct. 14, the agent received information from Dhillon's employer that confirmed that Dhillon regularly drove the white Mercedes, according to the pc statement.
Dhillon was arrested on Oct. 15 and is being held without bail.