Man indicted on murder, sex assault charges after unhoused man found dead near Phoenix dumpster

PHOENIX — A grand jury in Maricopa County indicted a suspect in the case of an unhoused man who was sexually assaulted and left dead near a Phoenix dumpster in 2024, authorities said.

Raymond J. Drinkhouse was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Authorities arrested him last month, over a year after the victim was found in a dumpster enclosure at an apartment complex near 55th Avenue and Indian School Road in November 2024.

The victim, Mark Anthony Montano, was unhoused and did not live at the complex.

According to the indictment issued Feb. 20, Drinkhouse allegedly forced Montano to participate in sex acts against his will on or about Nov. 12, 2024, the day the victim’s body was found.

The indictment says Drinkhouse restrained Montano “with the intent to inflict death, physical injury, or commit a sexual offense on him.”

According to 12 News, Montano died from asphyxiation, and investigators found his body with an orange safety vest around his neck and a plastic bag lodged in his throat.

Drinkhouse is being held on a $1 million bond. His trial is scheduled to begin in October.

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