This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The Wyoming Supreme Court upheld a lengthy sentence imposed on a juvenile.
Eavan Castaner of Casper pleaded guilty to second degree murder and misdemeanor stalking for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, Lene’a Brown, in 2024. Castaner was 15 at the time of the shooting. The Natrona County District Court sentenced him to 42 to 75 years.
Castaner appealed that sentence to the state Supreme Court, arguing it was unconstitutional and violated Wyoming’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
His lawyers pointed to a part of Wyoming law that reads, “A person sentenced to life imprisonment for an offense committed before the person reached the age of eighteen (18) years shall be eligible for parole after commutation of his sentence to a term of years or after having served twenty-five (25) years of incarceration.”
Under the district court’s sentence, Castaner wouldn’t be eligible for parole until after at least 42 years.
They also cited a U.S. Supreme Court case, Miller v. Alabama 2012, that held that a mandatory life-without-parole sentence for a juvenile homicide offender violated the Eighth Amendment.
Following Castaner’s guilty plea at the district court level, the state had recommended 44 to 75 years of incarceration for the second-degree murder charge, noting it was not requesting a life sentence.
Castaner’s team objected, arguing it violated the state constitution. They asked for a 22 to 30 year sentence.
The plea came about through an agreement that amended his initial first-degree murder charge to second-degree.
The district court ultimately sentenced Castaner to 42 to 75 years of incarceration, with credit for 330 days for prior time served.
The Supreme Court, in its order, wrote that because the district court did not sentence Castaner to life imprisonment, the requirement for parole eligibility after 25 years doesn’t apply.
Justices also found that Castaner’s sentence is in line with sentences for similar charges. State statute outlines a 20 year to life sentence for second-degree murder, with no exceptions for juveniles convicted of that crime. First-degree murder is punishable by death or life imprisonment without parole under state law, though juveniles can only be sentenced to life imprisonment.
In response to the cruel and unusual complaint, the Supreme Court said Castaner withdrew the claim of cruel, and the court said he was unable to prove his sentence was unusual.
“While Wyoming is in the minority of states that permit sentences as lengthy as Mr. Castaner’s, the sentence is consistent with those permitted in various other state legislatures. In addition, there are various state courts that have affirmed sentencing juvenile offenders to longer sentences than Mr. Castaner’s for the crime of second-degree murder,” justices wrote.
Castaner’s case was one in a wave of recent, lethal teen-on-teen violence in Casper.
