Riverton police have arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of a man who was bludgeoned just outside a church in Riverton in February.
Quinn Adam Duran, 33, was charged Wednesday with one count of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and another count of aggravated assault, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The investigation began Feb. 19 at about 9:31 a.m. Riverton Police Department officers went to St. James Episcopal church to answer a welfare check request for a man lying on the side of the building with blood near him, says an evidentiary affidavit by RPD Detective Bhagya Nethicumara.
Fremont County Attorney Patrick LeBrun filed the affidavit and charges in Riverton Circuit Court on Wednesday.
Beaten To Death
Officers arrived and found William Yellowrobe Sr., 51, dead, frozen to the ground and bearing multiple deep lacerations to his head, says the affidavit.
The Fremont County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, also noting blunt traumatic injuries to Yellowrobe’s head and ethanol intoxication.
“Although not listed as a contributing cause of death, the victim also had fractured ribs,” wrote Nethicumara.
Businesses and private entities granted investigators surveillance footage. One recording from the area showed Yellowrobe arriving at the church Feb. 18 with several other people police were able to identify, the document says.
Yellowrobe and Duran remained at the church while others left. At about 4:22 p.m., an “altercation” happened in which Duran was “possibly punching and kicking” Yellowrobe, wrote the detective.
Piecing together available surveillance footage, police reportedly tracked Duran’s movement to a bar in the same neighborhood.
Police had spoken to Duran at the bar that same night, the document says.
The affidavit says investigators sent Duran’s clothing to the Wyoming Crime Lab in Cheyenne, where analysts identified human blood with Yellowrobe’s DNA on it in stains on the clothing.
Police interviewed Duran three times, who reportedly said he couldn’t recall being at the church or the events involving Yellowrobe.
“Duran mentioned (Yellowrobe) might have verbally threatened him and shown disrespect, which initiated the altercation,” Nethicumara wrote. “He acknowledged the possibility that he might have escalated the assault too far.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
