CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Prosecutors told jurors Thursday that defendant Nathaniel Castellanos, and not an unidentified man, killed two people and injured a third in Cheyenne in 2011.
Castellanos is on trial on charges of murder and attempted murder in the Aug. 23, 2011, shooting deaths of Corey Walker and Megan McIntosh.
Castellanos’ attorney, Dylan Rosalez, insisted his client was innocent, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported (https://bit.ly/1hl8AlP ). Rosalez claimed that Cheyenne police “lied, cheated and schemed to get Mr. Castellanos to admit something he didn’t do.”
Castellanos, 34, could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.
Special prosecutor Dan Itzen of the Natrona County district attorney’s office said Castellanos told police that an unknown intruder in his home shot and killed Walker, 21, and McIntosh, 25, and then fled. Castellanos said Amber McGuire, who was 23 years old at the time, was wounded when he tried to grab the gun from the intruder and it went off.
Police found Walker dead in a kitchen and McIntosh nearby. McGuire had been shot twice in the head and underwent surgeries in Denver, Itzen said.
“She will come into court and tell what happened that night. Not only did she survive, but she remembers,” Itzen said.
Prosecutors said they found gunshot residue on Castellanos’ hand and face, and McGuire’s DNA on a 9 mm gun that belonged to Castellanos.
McGuire’s blood was found on the defendant’s shirt and shoes, Itzen said.
McIntosh and McGuire attended Laramie County Community College. Walker and McIntosh were dating.
Rosalez, the defense attorney, said Castellanos heard arguing and what he thought were firecrackers in the home. He went to investigate and found McIntosh and Walker shot, Rosalez said.
Castellanos tried to disarm the gunman when the gun went off, wounding McGuire, Rosalez said. He added there is DNA evidence from an unknown person in the home and a neighbor has said he heard someone running through his backyard that evening.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, https://www.wyomingnews.com
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