Accused Montana Indian Reservation Killer Charged With Attempted Murder In Wyoming
A teenager accused in a double murder on Montana's Crow Indian Reservation is facing an attempted murder charge in Wyoming.
Court documents allege 18-year-old Jesus Deniz Mendoza of Worland, Wyoming, told FBI agents that he used the same rifle blamed in the July, 2015 killings, during a 2013 shooting near Ten Sleep, Wyoming.
A law enforcement affidavit says Mendoza shot Jose Araujo in the chest while the victim was camping.
Mendoza allegedly told the FBI agents that he was "fiending" drugs and wanted to rob the victim.
He could face 20 years to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors in the Montana case are considering seeking the death penalty.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Watters denied a request by Mendoza's attorneys in Montana, to appoint a death-penalty specialist to assist them.