Plea deal reached for teen charged with killing ex-girlfriend; hearing set for Nov. 8

CASPER, Wyo. — A Casper teenager charged with killing his ex-girlfriend earlier this year intends to change his plea from not guilty in the case, according to a filing in Natrona County District Court.

Eavan Castaner, accused of fatally shooting Lene’a Brown on the night of May 14, has accepted a plea offer from the state, according to the notice filed last week by his defense attorney, Ryan Semerad.

That request also included a motion on Aug. 15 from Castaner to withdraw his request to transfer the case to juvenile court.

The change-of-plea hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8 before District Court Judge Daniel Forgey.

District Attorney Dan Itzen and Chief Deputy Blaine Nelson are representing the state.

Castaner, born in 2007, is presumed innocent unless proven or pleading guilty.

The announcement of the plea deal comes four months after Castaner pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and misdemeanor stalking.

The case started when Casper police officers and Natrona County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a shooting at Buckboard Park around 12:36 a.m. Tuesday, May 14. One of the callers identified Castaner as the shooter, according to the affidavit accompanying the charging documents.

The victim, 17-year-old Lene’a Brown, was found lying in the street with a gunshot wound to her head. She was declared dead at Banner-Wyoming Medical Center.

At Castaner’s preliminary hearing in Natrona County Circuit Court on May 23, Semerad urged the state to reconsider the first-degree charges, saying Castaner’s actions on May 14 were “perhaps impulsive and hastily executed” and not the product of cold consideration.

The Casper Police Department investigation revealed numerous taunting and violent messages from Castaner to Brown in the month leading up to the shooting. They had broken up in mid-April after dating for about a year, the police report said.

Brown had shared some of the messages with family members, one of whom contacted Castaner to set up the meeting at Buckboard Park off Robertson Road. He accompanied Brown to the meeting and carried a baseball bat, telling police he backed away when he saw Castaner had a gun.

One witness said Brown and Castaner continued to approach each other in the street and “appeared to shove each other” right before the gunshot happened.