• 16-year killed ex-girlfriend; defense plans to appeal

 

By Dylan Farrell
Casper Star-Tribune
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CASPER — Eavan Castaner, the teen who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Lene’a Brown, was sentenced to 42-75 years in prison on Tuesday morning. 

Castaner pleaded guilty to killing Lene’a Brown by shooting her in the head just outside Buckboard Park on the night of May 13, 2024. Castaner, who turned 16 about a week later, was 15 at the time of the offense. 

Judge Daniel Forgey imposed the sentence, which closely aligned with the prosecution’s recommendation. 

Both the state and the defense gave lengthy presentations in favor of their sentencing recommendations — with the prosecution asking for 44-75 and the defense requesting 22-30 — but District Attorney Dan Itzen’s request for a punitive sentence appeared to be favored by Forgey. 

After the hearing, defense attorney Ryan Semerad told the Star-Tribune that he has filed a notice of appeal for the ruling on the grounds that it is both illegal and unconstitutional.

Both the state and defense called witnesses throughout the two-hour hearing, which included statements from Lene’a Brown’s father, David Henrikson, and both of Castaner’s parents. 

“When I lost her, I lost a huge part of myself,” Henrikson said in his testimony. 

He also described Lene’a as his “first love” and his “first loss.” 

“Lene’a will never have a chance at life, and I believe Eavan should have a similar sentence,” Henrikson said in his statement. 

Castaner’s mother, Mikala, presented a statement of her own, asking the court to impose a sentence that allowed her son to have a second chance. 

 

Facts of the case 

Fact witnesses provided a timeline of events leading up to Brown’s death and largely relied on the testimony of Castaner’s mother and Detective Jonathan Schlager, who handled the investigation for Casper Police Department. 

Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson was also present for the state and interviewed the witnesses for the prosecution. In his examination of Schlager, Nelson referenced Snapchat and text messages sent by Castaner to present Castaner as lacking remorse for his actions. 

Castaner’s counselor, Jana Sisco, denied those claims when she took the stand under subpoena. 

The mood of the courtroom was somber throughout the hearing. The sound of hushed tears regularly punctuated points made by both attorneys. Henrikson himself struggled to finish his statement. Castaner’s mother and grandmother both cried when asking for the court to give him a second chance. 

In earlier interviews with the Star-Tribune, Henrikson said Brown made Castaner the focal point of the last year or so of her life, often forsaking her regular hobbies of dirt biking, fishing and camping with her family to spend time with her then-boyfriend. 

In the hearing, attorneys established that Brown broke up with Castaner about 25 days before he killed her. 

On May 13, when Brown was murdered, both of Castaner’s parents were out of town for work. His father, Christopher, was in Point of Rocks; his mother was in Bozeman. She said she planned to return the next day and was only away for the night. 

In her closet, she left the gun Eavan Castaner used to kill Lene’a Brown in an unlocked concealed carry case. 

In pleading for a reduced sentence later on, defense attorney Ryan Semerad noted that Castaner had been placed under an involuntary hold multiple times for mental health crises. 

Prior to the murder, Castaner sent messages to a friend saying that he still wasn’t over his relationship with Brown and that he “just want[ed] to kill someone” to let out his anger. He also sent text messages to Brown threatening her life, calling her a “hoe” and saying she deserves to die “in the most painful way possible,” among other things. 

Brown sent screenshots of the text messages to Castaner’s mother on the night of the 13, who stated on the stand that she was asleep when she received them. 

 

Impending appeal 

Due to the nature of Castaner’s plea deal, the defense cannot appeal the facts of the case. Castaner’s camp can, however, appeal the sentence itself if they feel it’s unjustly harsh. 

In addition to the 42-75 year figure, Castaner was also sentenced for a misdemeanor stalking charge, for which he was credited time served. He was also ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution to Brown’s family to recoup funeral costs. 

In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Semerad said Castaner has already filed a notice of appeal. 

He told the Star-Tribune that state statute limits the maximum penalty for juvenile offenders at life with possibility for parole after 25 years, making the sentence illegal. 

He also said he believes it to be unconstitutional on the grounds that many teenagers convicted of greater offenses — namely murder in the first degree — were eligible for parole after fewer than 42 years. 

“Because the State of Wyoming argued for a purely punitive 44-year sentence, which exceeds the limit of the law,” said the release, “and the Court ultimately imposed a punishment, which exceeded the limits of the law by 17 years, Eavan will appeal the Court’s sentence to the Supreme Court of Wyoming. 

“Our community needs a reckoning over kids, crime and safety. Imposing unconstitutional and illegal sentences sends exactly the wrong message at this precarious time.”