Court Reviews Sheridan Teen’s Life Sentence

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The Wyoming Supreme Court is set to consider an appeal on behalf of a Sheridan teenager serving life in prison following his guilty plea to a home invasion murder.

Eighteen-year-old Wyatt Bear Cloud is one of three teens convicted of murder in the August 2009 killing of Sheridan businessman Robert Ernst.

Bear Cloud’s lawyers argue that his life sentence violated his constitutional rights. They also say a district court judge should have allowed him to transfer his case to juvenile court.

The Wyoming Attorney General’s Office says Bear Cloud got fair treatment and an appropriate sentence.

The state Supreme Court in November denied requests from the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming and the Equal Justice Initiative, an Alabama-based group, to file friend-of-the-court briefs on Bear Cloud’s behalf.