Violent Crimes Defense in Wyoming

Wyoming Violent Crimes Defense Attorney

Violent crime charges in Wyoming carry mandatory prison time and long-term consequences. You need trial attorneys — not plea negotiators.

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    Home » Criminal Defense » Violent Crimes

    Violent Crime Charges in Wyoming: Why These Cases Demand a Trial Attorney

    Violent crime charges in Wyoming are prosecuted aggressively. Unlike lower-level offenses where diversion programs or plea agreements are common, violent crime cases frequently go to trial — and the stakes are high. Mandatory minimum sentences, years in state prison, and permanent felony records are on the table. This is not the time for an attorney who isn’t comfortable in a Wyoming courtroom.

    What Qualifies as a Violent Crime Under Wyoming Law

    Wyoming law defines violent crimes broadly. Any offense that involves the use or threatened use of physical force against another person can be classified as a violent crime. This includes obvious charges like murder, manslaughter, and kidnapping — but also charges that people sometimes underestimate, like aggravated assault, battery, and vehicular assault. Being labeled a violent offender in Wyoming affects sentencing, parole eligibility, and collateral consequences for years after a case concludes.

    Why Violent Crime Cases Are Different

    Prosecutors treat violent crime cases differently. They dedicate more resources, bring in expert witnesses, and build cases over weeks or months before charges are ever filed. Physical evidence, forensics, eyewitness testimony, and surveillance footage all play significant roles. Defending against this requires an equally thorough investigation — one that starts the moment you retain us, not the week before trial.

    Our Approach to Violent Crime Defense in Wyoming

    As former prosecutors, the attorneys at Just Criminal Law understand how the state sequences its violent crime evidence and how it prepares its witnesses. We conduct our own independent investigation, work with forensic experts when evidence is disputed, challenge the credibility of witnesses, and identify procedural errors that can result in suppression of evidence. When a case is worth fighting at trial — and in violent crime cases, they often are — we are experienced Wyoming trial attorneys who have stood before juries and won.

    Wyoming Violent Crime Charges We Defend

    Our violent crime defense practice covers the full range of charges: homicide, murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, battery, kidnapping, vehicular homicide, and vehicular assault. Each charge has its own statutory framework, penalty range, and defense strategy. Use the links below to learn more about the specific charge you’re facing.

    Call Just Criminal Law today. The earlier we are involved, the more we can do.

    Related Charges We Also Defend

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    Homicide Murder and manslaughter defense — the highest-stakes cases we handle.
    Assault Simple and aggravated assault charges defended at trial.
    Aggravated Assault Serious injury, a weapon, or strangulation elevates charges significantly.
    Battery Physical contact resulting in injury — often charged alongside assault.
    Kidnapping Federal and state charges may both apply in kidnapping cases.
    Vehicular Homicide When a driving incident results in death, the charges are severe.

    Why Clients in Wyoming and South Dakota Choose Just Criminal Law

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    Former Prosecutors on Your Side

    Our attorneys spent years working for the state before switching sides. We know exactly how prosecutors build cases and exactly where to find the holes.

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    Criminal Defense Is All We Do

    We do not split our focus between practice areas. Every attorney, every resource, every minute is focused on one thing: your criminal defense.

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    Local Knowledge That Matters

    We know the courts, the judges, and the prosecutors across Wyoming and western South Dakota. Local familiarity shapes strategy and strategy shapes outcomes.

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    Spanish Language Services Available

    Servicios de traduccion en espanol disponibles. Every client fully understands their case, their options, and their rights.

    25+ Years of Success

    Real Results for Wyoming & South Dakota Clients

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      Other
      Suppression Appeal — Wyoming Supreme Court

      District Court denied motion to suppress. Wyoming Supreme Court accepted certiorari on appeal.

      Barney v. State of Wyoming — Wyoming Supreme Court

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      CASE DISMISSED
      Reckless Endangering / Domestic Battery / Child Endangering — Wyoming

      Client charged with reckless endangering, domestic battery, and child endangering. All charges dismissed.

      State v. Quezada-Lopez — Wyoming Circuit Court

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      CASE DISMISSED
      DUI / DWUI — Wyoming

      Client charged with DUI. State unable to lay foundation for the breath test. Case dismissed.

      State v. Von Olnhausen — Wyoming Circuit Court

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      CASE DISMISSED
      Felony Child Abuse — Wyoming

      Client charged with accessory after the fact and aggravated child abuse — a felony. State unable to meet its burden of proof at preliminary hearing. Felony count dismissed.

      State v. Bullinger — Wyoming District Court

    See All Case Results
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    Charged with a crime in Wyoming? Time is critical.

    The sooner you have an attorney, the more options you have.

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    Frequently Asked Questions About Violent Crime Charges in Wyoming

    Wyoming classifies a crime as violent when it involves the use or threatened use of physical force against another person, or when it creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death. Violent crimes typically include assault, battery, robbery, kidnapping, murder, manslaughter, and vehicular assault. The classification matters because it affects sentencing, parole eligibility, and how aggressively the prosecution approaches the case.

    Not always, but frequently. Simple assault and simple battery can be misdemeanors. However, most charges that involve serious bodily injury, a weapon, a domestic relationship, or repeat offenses escalate to felony territory. Aggravated assault, for example, is always a felony in Wyoming. The specific facts of your case determine where on the spectrum your charge falls.

    Yes. Wyoming law recognizes self-defense and defense of others as valid justifications for the use of force. Wyoming also has a Castle Doctrine that allows the use of force — including deadly force — to defend your home without a duty to retreat. Whether self-defense applies to your situation depends on the specific facts: did you reasonably believe force was necessary, and was the level of force you used proportionate to the threat? We evaluate self-defense applicability in every violent crime case.

    Simple assault under Wyo. Stat. § 6-2-501 is an attempt or threat to cause bodily injury and is typically a misdemeanor. Aggravated assault involves serious bodily injury, use of a deadly weapon, or strangulation — and it is a felony carrying up to 10 years in prison. The difference between the two charges can come down to disputed facts about the extent of injury or the presence of a weapon, which is exactly where experienced defense work makes a difference.

    Prior convictions — especially prior violent crime convictions — significantly affect how a current charge is prosecuted and sentenced. Habitual offender statutes in Wyoming allow prosecutors to seek enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. A prior felony conviction can also affect bail eligibility and plea offer terms. This is why even first-time offenders should take violent crime charges extremely seriously from day one.

    The use or display of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime typically elevates the charge and the penalty. Wyoming’s aggravated assault statute specifically covers assault with a deadly weapon. Additionally, using a firearm in the commission of a felony can trigger separate federal charges. If a weapon was involved in your case, the complexity of your defense increases — and so does the importance of having experienced legal representation.

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    Wyoming Criminal Defense — Communities We Serve

    We are based in Gillette, Wyoming, and serve clients across the state and into western South Dakota. Our team knows the local courts, prosecutors, and judges in every community we serve — and that local knowledge makes a real difference in criminal defense.

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    Wyoming
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    South Dakota
    Attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally?

    We provide on-call criminal defense for Rally-related arrests including DUI, drug charges, weapons offenses, and assault. Call us 24/7 during Rally week.

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    Request Your Free Violent Crime Defense Consultation

    If you have been charged with violent crime charges in Wyoming or South Dakota, the sooner you speak with an attorney, the more options you have. Call Just Criminal Law today for a free, confidential case review.

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