Suspect in Halloween night teen stabbing to face trial

CASPER, Wyo. — A 17-year-old girl charged as an adult will face trial in Natrona County District Court on one count of aggravated assault for stabbing another girl last week.

Gabriella Aultman was bound over for trial after her preliminary hearing before Natrona County Circuit Court Judge Nicole Collier on Thursday.

Aggravated assault is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and up to a $10,000 fine.

According to a Casper Police Department press release on Nov. 1, the case started on Halloween night when law enforcement and an ambulance responded to reports of a stabbing on the 1500 block of North Poplar Street. Officers found a 17-year-old victim conscious but suffering from a knife wound to the abdomen. She was treated at the scene and taken to Banner Wyoming Medical Center, where she was in serious but stable condition as of Nov. 1.

During the preliminary hearing, Natrona County District Attorney Dan Itzen questioned Casper Police Investigator Tiffany Elhart, who identified Aultman wearing a red jail jumpsuit.

Elhart said officers located the victim with a knife wound in her abdomen and knife cuts on her hands in the parking lot of 1501 N. Poplar St., the location of the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center. After the victim, identified by the initials W.W., was taken to Banner Wyoming Medical Center, she gave a statement to an officer saying that she was among a big group of juveniles and some adults, Elhart said.

According to Elhart, the victim said she kicked a vehicle — a red Dodge Durango owned by Aultman’s mother — because it got too close to her and others as it was backing out of a parking spot. W.W. told the officer that the passenger door opened and Aultman got out carrying a machete-style knife. W.W. was not armed.

Elhart said W.W.’s wounds included cuts to her hands and a cut to her abdomen that caused a hernia and pierced her small bowel. The latter injury required surgery, and the cuts to the hands may require surgery too.

The driver of the vehicle was interviewed, and she told officers that she was the designated driver because she was staying sober. As she was slowly backing out of the parking place, she yelled to bystanders to get out of the way and then heard a thud caused by W.W. kicking the vehicle. That’s when Aultman got out with the knife that was kept by the console between the front seats and approached W.W., a crowd gathering around the two.

After the stabbing, Aultman got back in the Durango and said “go, go, go,” according to the driver’s statement. The driver told officers that Aultman said she regretted her actions, but the driver said at that time she didn’t know what Aultman meant.

The vehicle was found shortly after the incident.

Another passenger in the vehicle told officers that they were backing out of the parking place, but W.W. wasn’t moving, adding that Aultman and W.W. walked toward each other with Aultman pointing the knife at W.W. The passenger said the victim walked into the blade, which caused Aultman to push it in.

Elhart also testified about the size of the machete-style knife, with its hilt and curved, serrated blade.

Elhart said investigators were sent a video by someone at the scene, and Nelson wanted to show that to the courtroom. Aultman’s public defender, Marty Scott, objected. Collier said that it was part of the state’s burden to show by preponderance of evidence that a crime had been committed and the suspect committed it, after which Scott, Itzen and others approached Collier and showed part of the video to her.

Elhart then told Itzen that the investigation continued and one witness said Aultman first got out of the vehicle without the weapon and then retrieved it. However, the other witnesses told investigators that Aultman, in fact, got out of the Durango with the knife.

After Elhart’s testimony, Itzen gave a closing argument about how the video, interviews and victim’s statement were evidence enough to send the case to Natrona County District Court.

Scott didn’t object.

Collier said the state met its burden by showing the preponderance of evidence and bound the case over to district court, where Aultman will enter a formal plea at her arraignment.

The remaining issue was that of the bond amount, which was set at $100,000 cash or surety. Scott wanted that lowered, saying he’s had adult defendants being charged with similar crimes whose bonds were set at $25,000, and Aultman’s should be lowered to $50,000.

Itzen responded that the severity of the crime warranted the $100,000 bond.

Collier noted that Aultman had no criminal history and had a home and family, but the offense is serious.

She split the difference and reset the bond to $75,000 cash or surety.