Wyoming Court Upholds Lengthy Sentence for Casper Teen in Second-Degree Murder Case

Shortly after midnight on May 14, 2024, 17-year-old Lene'a Brown was shot and killed at Buckboard Park in Casper by her 15-year-old ex-boyfriend, Eavan Castaner. Following their April breakup, Castaner had repeatedly harassed Brown with threatening messages despite her requests to stop. He also threatened her cousin and brought a handgun from his mother’s home to confront him at the park. Witnesses reported that Brown approached Castaner aggressively, and he shot her at close range.

Castaner was arrested soon after. He admitted to taking the gun from his mother’s closet and firing it. On May 15, 2024, he was charged with first-degree murder and misdemeanor stalking. Under a plea agreement, he pled guilty to second-degree murder and misdemeanor stalking.

Sentencing considered juvenile sentencing laws under Miller v. Alabama and Wyoming precedent. The State recommended 44–75 years for second-degree murder, while the defense argued the maximum should be 22.5 years to life. The court ultimately sentenced Castaner to 42–75 years for second-degree murder, with credit for 330 days served, and time served for the stalking charge.

Castaner appealed, claiming his sentence violated Article 1, Section 14 of the Wyoming Constitution, which prohibits cruel or unusual punishment. Applying the Hicks test—where a punishment is cruel if grossly disproportionate and unusual if obsolete or contrary to contemporary standards—the court found his sentence was not cruel and rejected his argument that it was unusual.

The court noted that many states allow similar or longer sentences for juveniles convicted of second-degree murder and that no national consensus deems Wyoming’s sentence improper. Castaner’s 42–75-year sentence is being upheld as legal and constitutional.