District court roundup: Man pleads no contest to seriously injuring wife
Jun. 12—CHEYENNE — A local man accused of severely beating his wife and breaking her jaw pleaded no contest Thursday morning in Laramie County District Court.
Joseph Benjamin Boyke entered the plea for two felony aggravated assault and battery charges, one involving serious bodily injury and another a threat with a weapon. An additional charge, aggravated assault and battery, bodily injury with a weapon, would be dismissed at sentencing as part of a plea agreement.
The state recommended a sentence of five to eight years in prison for each count, which would run consecutively, though Boyke and his attorney are free to argue otherwise.
Laramie County District Judge Catherine Rogers ordered that Boyke's bond remain at $100,000 cash. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 2.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 24, Boyke admitted to a Laramie County Sheriff's deputy that he had punched his wife in the face multiple times after getting drunk, according to court documents.
During an initial interview at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the woman told the deputy Boyke began hitting her in the face and then put a pistol to her head. She said Boyke shot the pistol, and deputies later found evidence that a shot was fired within the home.
In a later interview, the woman said she was knocked unconscious by Boyke's initial punch, and that she immediately noticed her jaw felt broken and that blood was filling her mouth. The woman could not remember parts of the incident but recalled Boyke dragging her by her hair and kicking her, according to court documents. The assault lasted about 30 minutes.
The woman's jaw was broken in three places and had to be fused together with a metal rod. She underwent two surgeries and received several stitches next to her right ear.
Boyke later admitted to two detectives that he struck and kicked the woman multiple times, threatened her with a pistol and fired a round away from her, according to court documents.
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Anthony Mark Martinez was sentenced by Judge Rogers to three years of supervised probation, with a suspended sentence of four to seven years in prison, for one count of felony property destruction. This sentence will run concurrently with one year of supervised probation, with a suspended sentence of six months in prison, for misdemeanor eluding.
Martinez pleaded no contest to these charges in February. Two additional counts of felony property destruction, one count of felony attempted interference with a peace officer with injury, two counts of misdemeanor property destruction, and one count of driving with a suspended license were dismissed, per a plea agreement.
On Sept. 4, 2019, a Cheyenne police officer pursued Martinez after catching him speeding in the 100 block of Dell Range Boulevard, according to court documents. The officer made contact with Martinez a short time later, after Martinez collided with a parked pickup truck, which was then pushed into another vehicle. He tried to leave the scene by reversing quickly in the vehicle toward another officer.
While being pursued by officers, Martinez hit and destroyed two wooden fences while driving through yards and collided with another parked vehicle, according to court documents.
He then led officers on a high-speed pursuit, eventually exiting the vehicle and attempting to flee on foot.
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Heard Monday in district court:
Max William Gallo was sentenced to three to five years in prison by Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe for third-degree arson, a felony. He was sentenced to time served for one count of misdemeanor theft.
Gallo previously pleaded no contest to the charges.
Additional charges — felony property destruction, felony burglary and being under the influence of controlled substances, which is a misdemeanor — were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
In one case, Gallo was originally charged with felony burglary and misdemeanor theft, stemming from an April 2017 incident when he broke into Cheyenne Dog Food Company and stole several items, including computer equipment and cash, according to court documents. A pry bar found at the scene later tested positive for Gallo's DNA.
In another case from August 2020, Gallo was accused of intentionally setting a fire in a Guest Ranch Motel room. He was originally charged with felony property destruction and felony third-degree arson, as well as being under the influence of controlled substances and falsely reporting a crime, both misdemeanors.
Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.
