Cheyenne Teen’s Alleged Killer Bound Over on Murder Charges
One of two Cheyenne teens charged in connection with last month's drive-by shooting at Lincoln Park which left a 15-year-old Cheyenne girl dead has been bound over to Laramie County District Court.
Circuit Court Judge Antoinette Williams on Thursday found probable cause to bind 17-year-old Johnny Munoz over on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
According to Cheyenne Police Detective Mike Fernandez, Munoz was riding in the front seat of an SUV being driven by 16-year-old Julian Espinoza on the morning of April 30, when they and three adults -- Jalen Trujillo, Santana Trujillo, and Jeremy Lackey -- drove by the park on East 7th Street and Munoz opened fire on a group playing basketball, hitting the girl, B.C.C., in the head.
Fernandez says a male juvenile, J.O., indicated that he shot back at the SUV with a Glock 9mm, but the SUV was not hit and Espinoza took off.
B.C.C. was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center where she remained in critical condition and died the following day.
Fernandez says 14 spent 9mm shell casings were found in the grass north of the basketball court and four spent .380 shell casings were found along the north side of East 7th Street, which, based on weight, were consistent with the bullet recovered from B.C.C.
Fernandez says it's believed that Joey Carabajal Jr. was the intended target due to a pending criminal case on an attempted second-degree murder charge.
Munoz's attorney, Patricia Bennett, argued that since there was no evidence whatsoever that her client intended to kill B.C.C. the first-degree charges shouldn't be bound over, but Williams disagreed.
Williams kept Munoz's bond at $250,000 cash.
Espinoza, who has been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and aiding and abetting first-degree murder, was also scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday, but his attorney filed a motion to continue.
For more information about this case, check out our earlier posts.
- Teens Charged as Adults in 15-Year-Old Cheyenne Girl's Death
- 2 Arrested on Murder Charges in 15-Year-Old Cheyenne Girl's Death
- UPDATE: Cheyenne Teen Dies After Being Shot in Head at Lincoln Park
- Cheyenne Teen in Critical Condition After Being Shot in Head