Dell Range shooting defendants head to trial in district court

Feb. 2—CHEYENNE — A Laramie County Circuit Court judge ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence from the recent Dell Range Boulevard shooting investigation for a criminal trial in district court.

Judge Sean Chambers made the decision following a preliminary hearing for the three co-defendants involved in the case, and informed them the court found probable cause due to evidence presented by the state and testimony from Cheyenne Police Department Detective Alex Huff.

Tirso Munguia, 19, will stand trial after being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the death of 16-year-old Triumph High School student Angelina Harrison. Evidence found through an investigation by the Cheyenne Police Department revealed he was in possession of the weapon when it went off, leading to the alleged accidental killing of Harrison on Jan. 9.

He was not alone when the gun was fired.

Munguia was sitting beside Cody Nicholson, 18, in the backseat of a vehicle driven by Sarah Heath, 26, on Dell Range Boulevard the night of the shooting. Harrison was sitting in the front passenger seat beside Heath, and was struck by a bullet recovered from the front dashboard of the car.

One count of felony accessory after the fact to involuntary manslaughter was charged against Nicholson and Heath for separate reasons.

Nicholson was the owner of the firearm, and fled the scene with the weapon following the shooting without contacting law enforcement, according to court documents and testimony.

This led to nearly a three-hour manhunt for Nicholson, after which he was found at his home in the 1500 block of Logan Avenue. He had changed clothes and disposed of them in his grandmother's house, as well as hidden the firearm in the closet of his old bedroom, according to testimony from Huff.

Both teens were arrested and booked that night, and it wasn't until 10 days later that Heath was also arrested as a suspect in connection with the shooting.

She was charged with accessory to the crime, three counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and one count of possession of marijuana. The probable cause laid out in Heath's affidavit said she "intentionally misled detectives during the investigation," because she told law enforcement she didn't know the identity of Nicholson or where he lived.

Munguia also claimed to have not known Nicholson, but this was not the case.

Additional details of the incident were provided during the preliminary hearing, and the co-defendants' legal counsel pursued dismissing the charges of involuntary manslaughter and accessory.

However, newly elected District Attorney Sylvia Hackl said the issues raised could be heard at trial. She also objected to the bond reductions requested by Munguia and Nicholson. Heath had already been released on a $50,000 cash or surety bond, but the two teens have been held on $150,000 bonds.

Chambers granted a reduction for Munguia to $75,000 cash after his lawyer said he was not a flight risk, and that wanted to find a job and get his GED. Hackl said those could have been worked on prior to the incident, and the community had a vested interest in the case.

Coming to a decision regarding Nicholson's bond was more complex.

Casper attorney Keith Nachbar represented Nicholson, and said the reason the 18-year-old fled the scene was because he was scared, and he had a warrant out for his arrest. Nicholson pleaded guilty to a DUI involving alcohol in September of 2022, but violated the terms of his probation by not meeting testing requirements for two months, as well as submitting a diluted sample.

He was under consideration for a probation revocation, which is when a defendant may have to serve the balance of the sentence in jail due to violating the probationary sentence. He admitted to failing to submit to testing, but didn't admit to the allegation of diluting a sample.

Chambers imposed a 27-day jail sentence, but it was credited back to when he was placed in custody on Jan. 9. He will serve at least one more week in jail for violating his probation, and was granted a bond of $50,000 cash or surety.

The time and location of the three co-defendants' trial has not been announced.

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.