Luke Young Changes Plea to Guilty in Natrona County District Court
The Casper man accused of shooting two people to death -- Kameron Johnson and Acacia Colvin -- in August pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Natrona County District Court in January.
Luke Thomas Young appeared in Natrona County District Court today for a change of plea hearing before Judge Joshua Eames.
In a plea agreement with the State, Young agreed to plead guilty to the three charges against him:
1. 1st Degree Murder, a felony punishable by death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or life in prison
2. 1st Degree Murder, a felony punishable by death, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or life in prison
3. Aggravated Assault and Battery, a felony punishable by 10 years in prison
In exchange for his guilty plea, Young's Public Defender asked the State for an agreed disposition of life in prison on counts one and two, and a sentence of 3-5 years in prison for count three, with all three counts to run concurrent.
Judge Eames asked that Young explain what makes him guilty of these charges.
Young told the court that he was riding in a vehicle with two others; they had just dropped off some fentanyl and were almost to Casper when an argument ensued.
Young testified that he first shot Johnson, then got out of the vehicle and shot Colvin six times.
Judge Eames determined that his testimony was sufficient to establish probable cause and accepted his guilty pleas.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.
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The case started in the late evening hours on Aug. 9, when deputies responded to a report of a shooting on U.S. Highway 20-26 west of Casper, and located Colvin and Johnson.
Deputies began looking for Young, who was considered a "person of interest" in the case, but not yet a suspect.
The next afternoon, a resident reported suspicious activity of a person matching Young's description in the area of 7 Mile Road and 6WN Road. Young was taken into custody.
Young had a warrant out for his arrest after failing to return from his place of employment, as he was on a work release program.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections reported he walked away from the Adult Corrections Program on Aug. 4 in Campbell County. He was serving a sentence of three to five years imprisonment for the unlawful manufacture and/or delivery of Schedule I or Schedule II drugs.
After he walked away, he somehow made his way to Natrona County.
Subsequent court document filings detailed the relationship between Young and the two victims. All were involved in drug trafficking.