New information released on West Valley murder

A 26-year-old West Valley man who was shot and killed in his home in September was a marijuana dealer who was scheduled to distribute a lot of drugs the night he was murdered, according to a search warrant return filed in 3rd District Court this week.

The body of Cody Dodge was found by his roommate in their home, near 5100 West and 4500 South, on Sept. 22. The roommate called dispatchers and told them, "Mr. Dodge was a marijuana dealer," according to court records.

Officers responding to the scene said they could see and smell marijuana out in the open. The roommate told police that, the night before, Dodge had "three large black garbage bags" of marijuana in the living room, according to the search warrant.

The roommate said he told Dodge he was concerned about the amount of pot in the house, and that he needed to get rid of it.

"Mr. Dodge replied by saying that he had errands to run and would be getting rid of most of the marijuana during the night," according to court documents.

When the roommate returned home about 5 a.m. the next morning, he found Dodge dead on the floor.

Police seized numerous bags of marijuana, totaling about 21 pounds, from the house, according to the search warrant. About $950 in cash, drug paraphernalia, a rifle and two cell phones also were taken into evidence by police.

A check of court records showed Dodge had various drug-related convictions dating back to 2000.

---

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com