Cheyenne Twins Plead Not Guilty to Amended Charges in Murder Case

A pair of 18-year-old Cheyenne twins charged in connection with April's drive-by shooting at Lincoln Park which left a 15-year-old Cheyenne girl dead have pleaded not guilty to amended charges.

Brothers Jalen and Santana Trujillo were initially charged with accessory after the fact to commit a felony crime and were scheduled for preliminary hearings this morning, July 17, in Laramie County Circuit Court, but the charges were amended to misdemeanor accessory after the fact right before court.

Their bonds were lowered from $25,000 cash to $5,000 cash, which hadn't been posted as of noon, and a scheduling conference was set for Nov. 2.

Get our free mobile app

According to Cheyenne Police Department Lt. Adam DeBall, the Trujillos were picked up on warrants on July 6.

Police say they and Jeremy Lackey were riding in the backseat of an SUV being driven by 16-year-old Julian Espinoza on the morning of April 30, when Espinoza drove by the park on East 7th Street, and 17-year-old Johnny Munoz, who was riding in the front seat, opened fire on a group playing basketball, hitting BayLee Carabajal-Clark in the head.

Police say a 17-year-old boy returned fire with a handgun, but the SUV was not hit and Espinoza drove off.

Carabajal-Clark was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center where she remained in critical condition and died the following day.

Police say it's believed that Joey Carabajal Jr., who was out on bond at the time of the shooting, was the intended target due to a pending criminal case on an attempted second-degree murder charge.

Espinoza and Munoz were arrested on May 9 and charged as adults -- Espinoza with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and aiding and abetting first-degree murder, and Munoz with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Their cases are currently pending in Laramie County District Court.

For more information about this case as well as Joey Carabajal Jr.'s case, check out our earlier posts:

States Ranked by Gun Death Rates

Gun death rates per 100,000 are high in the U.S., and getting higher. Here's a list of states ranked by firearm safety, from lowest death rates to highest. Data for 2021 is from the CDC via Violence Policy Center.

How Many in America: From Guns to Ghost Towns

Can you take a guess as to how many public schools are in the U.S.? Do you have any clue as to how many billionaires might be residing there? Read on to find out—and learn a thing or two about each of these selection’s cultural significance and legacy along the way.

Source: Cheyenne Twins Plead Not Guilty to Amended Charges in Murder Case