🚧 Crime & Courts | Cowboy State Daily

Teen Arrested After 16-Year-Old Shot, Killed At Casper Home

An 18-year-old Casper man has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed Wednesday night. It’s the third teen-on-teen fatal incident in the town in less than a year.

Dale KillingbeckFebruary 13, 2025

Staff and students at Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Cowley, Wyoming, are coping with a Feb. 10, 2025, murder-suicide that killed Brailey Blackmer, 9, and has left her 7-year-old sister Olivia fighting for her life. Both are students at the school.

Shooting Of Classmates Has School Coping, Praying After Byron Murder-Suicide

The Rocky Mountain Elementary School has brought in four extra counselors and a support dog to help its 171 students in the aftermath of a Monday murder-suicide that killed one of its students and left another in critical condition.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 13, 2025

The Wyoming Refining Co. refinery in Newcastle, Wyoming.

Explosion at Newcastle Refinery Leaves Town Without Electricity, 911 Service

An explosion at an oil refinery in Newcastle on Wednesday night, unleased a power surge that killed the town’s electricity and 911 service. One person said the explosion was like something out of a “horror movie.”

Clair McFarlandFebruary 13, 2025

Olivia Blackmer, 7, continues to cling to life in a Salt Lake City hospital recovering from brain surgery. She was the lone survivor of a murder-suicide that claimed the lives of her three sisters and mother on Feb. 10, 2025, in Byron, Wyoming.

7-Year-OId Survivor Of Byron Murder-Suicide Clings To Life After Brain Surgery

The father of the only survivor of a Monday murder-suicide that claimed the lives of three girls and their mother says 7-year-old Olivia Blackmer is “still fighting.” Her brain swelling has been spiking, but she's still responding to medication, he said.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 13, 2025

Riverton Woman Gets 3-5 Years In Prison For Shooting Boyfriend's Foot

A Riverton woman was sentenced to between three and five years in prison Tuesday for shooting off part of her boyfriend's toe during an argument. Jordan Weliever also was ordered to pay about $6,100 to the state to reimburse the victim’s medical expenses.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 13, 2025

A pilot walked away from making an emergency landing on Wyoming Highway 789 on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, near Rawlins. One longtime pilot calls it the “best-case scenario” for a forced landing in freezing temperatures.

Pilot Makes Emergency Landing On Wyoming Highway Near Rawlins

A pilot walked away from making an emergency landing on Wyoming Highway 789 on Wednesday near Rawlins. One longtime pilot calls it the “best-case scenario” for a forced landing in freezing temperatures.

Andrew RossiFebruary 12, 2025

Cliff Harshman, husband of Tranyelle Harshman who died with three of her four daughters in a murder-suicide Monday, says his wife suffered from depression and had other mental struggles.

Husband Of Woman In Byron Murder-Suicide Says She Was Depressed, Struggling

The Wyoming woman who shot her four daughters then herself Monday suffered from depression and other struggles, her husband told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday. He said his wife's break has been both heartbreaking and shocking, because she “was not a monster.”

Clair McFarlandFebruary 12, 2025

Quinn Blackmer with his two daughters Brailey, right, and Olivia. Both were shot Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. Brailey, 9, died, while Olivia, 7, is fighting for her life in a Salt Lake City hospital.

Dad Of Two Girls Shot In Byron Murder-Suicide Pleads, “Pray For My Baby”

The father of 7- and 9-year-old girls shot Monday in a murder-suicide in Byron, Wyoming, is praying frantically for the one of four young children who survived. He pleads for the world as well to “pray for my baby.”

Clair McFarlandFebruary 12, 2025

Sheriffs deputies described walking in on a nightmare scene Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in a home where a mother is suspected of shooting her four children, then herself. A next-door neighbor says they were blindsided and never saw any outward signs the mom was struggling.

No Outward Signs Byron Mom Suspected Of Shooting Kids Was Struggling, Neighbors Say

Sheriffs deputies described walking in on a nightmare scene Monday in a home where a mother is suspected of shooting her four children, then herself. A next-door neighbor says he was blindsided and never saw any outward signs the mom was struggling.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 12, 2025

LDS Church Admits Cody Official Gave Bad Advice That Led To Approval Of Temple

An attorney representing the LDS church told the Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday that a city official gave bad advice that led to approving a controversial 101-foot steeple for the temple the church is building there.

Leo WolfsonFebruary 12, 2025

Byron Mom Suspected Of Shooting Her 4 Daughters Then Herself Dies

The Byron mother who called 911 to say her four daughters had been shot then turned the gun on herself died Tuesday afternoon, the Big Horn County Sheriff told Cowboy State Daily.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 12, 2025

What a pilot sees during a laser strike. A Montana man has been given prison time for pointing lasers at aircraft.

Paranoid Montana Man Draws Prison Time For Pointing Laser At Aircraft

When a Kalispell, Montana, man became convinced he was being followed by low-flying aircraft, he laser-blasted a flight instructor. She used her plane to help police make an arrest, and now he’ll spend 2.5 years in prison.

David MadisonFebruary 11, 2025

Dylan Short faces three felonies and a misdemeanor charge stemming from actions on Feb. 8 where he tried to set himself on fire, blow up gunpowder on a stove, and cut himself with a knife.

Casper Man Who Tried To Blow Himself Up Faces Felony Charges

A 28-year-old Casper man who unsuccessfully tried to blow himself up and challenged a police officer to “shoot me” was charged with three felonies Monday.

Dale KillingbeckFebruary 11, 2025

A Byron, Wyoming, mother shot her four daughters, called 911 to report it, then shot herself in the head Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday. Three children are dead, while the condition of the fourth and mother are unknown.

Small-Town Wyoming Mom Called 911, Reported Her Four Kids Shot Then Shot Herself

A Byron, Wyoming, mother called 911 to report her four daughters had been shot, then shot herself in the head Monday, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office reported Tuesday. Three children are dead, while the condition of the fourth and mother are unknown.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025

Photo outside home of shooting in Byron, Wyoming, on February 10, 2025

Five Gunshot Victims, Some Dead In Byron Shooting

Law enforcement agents found five gunshot victims at a home in Byron, Wyoming, the Big Horn County sheriff's office announced on Monday. Some were found dead; two were taken to medical care.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025

Razor Wire, Drugs And 'Coyotes' - Wyoming Troopers Say Texas Border Problems "Massive"

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers who went to Texas last summer to assist state patrol and enforce the U.S. border told legislators on Monday that their experiences were eye-opening. “The problems Texas is facing are massive,” one trooper said.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 11, 2025

Jackson Newspaper Gives Community A Heads-Up During Active ICE Investigation

A Jackson newspaper announced that an ICE raid was taking place Friday in Jackson Hole, while it was still occurring. One former ICE official called it "bullshit" and a breach of safety and trust. Another said the media is going to report what it thinks is news.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2025

A three-month-old baby was returned to its frantic mother on Sunday night in Riverton after a vehicle was stolen, and then abandoned, with the baby in it.

Baby Safe After Car Thief Abandons Vehicle Near Riverton

A three-month-old baby who was in the back of a stolen Ford Escape was returned to its mother on Sunday evening near Riverton after the car thief abandoned the vehicle. The perpetrator has not yet been located.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 10, 2025

Shayna Ritthaler was 16 when she ran away with 17-year-old Michael Campbell, whom she'd met online. Within days, Campbell shot and killed her at his mother's home in Sturgis, South Dakota, in October 2019.

Grandparents Of Murdered Upton Teen Plead For Missing Persons Bill

By the time authorities were legally able to enter the home on Oct. 7, 2019, it was too late. Shayna Ritthaler was found dead in a closet covered with clothing. Wyoming is one of six states that don't have missing person reporting requirements.

Jen KocherFebruary 08, 2025

Rowan Littauer, left, and Orion Schlesinger

Death Penalty On The Table In Bow And Arrow Death; Prosecutor Says Man Was 'Impaled'

Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich said he hasn’t ruled out seeking the death penalty for two Big Piney men charged Friday with first-degree murder, in the death of a man investigators say was killed by a bow and arrow. The victim was "impaled" by a man who later bragged about the act to friends, Melinkovich alleged in court.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025

Casper Man Receives 60-Plus Years For Child Rape, Child Pornography Charges

A 26-year-old Casper man who once bragged about having sex with young children was sentenced on Friday in Natrona County District Court to over 60 years for raping a child and soliciting others to do the same.

Dale KillingbeckFebruary 07, 2025

Multiple agents were on scene Monday evening, Sept. 9., 2024, after an officer-involved shooting prompted road closures along the block and up to the nearby railroad tracks.

No Charges For Thermopolis Officer, Deputy Who Shot Baseball Bat Attacker

There will be no criminal charges filed against the police officer and sheriff's deputy who shot and killed a Thermopolis man who charged them with a metal baseball bat. The special prosecutor on Friday said the agents acted within Wyoming's self-defense laws,

Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025

A jar showing a fundraising drive for Dakota Farley's burial, left; Orion Schlesinger's booking photo, top right; Rowan Littauer's booking photo, bottom right

Two Big Piney Men, 18 and 19, Charged With First-Degree Murder In Bow And Arrow Death

Sublette County sheriff's investigators found a 23-year-old man dead of apparent arrow wounds Wednesday in a Big Piney home. Two men aged 18 and 19 were charged with variations of first-degree murder Friday morning.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 07, 2025

Teen Girl Accused In Reliance Bonfire Shooting Charged As Adult

A 16-year-old Rock Springs girl has been charged as an adult after Sweetwater County Sheriff’s investigators say she shot two men who were in a fight with her boyfriend. The shooting happened late Saturday near a bonfire party spot outside Reliance.

Clair McFarlandFebruary 06, 2025

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