Man sentenced to prison in wife's death

ROCK SPRINGS (Wyoming News Exchange) — Jason Lee Fletcher has been sentenced to eight to 14 years in prison in the shooting death of his wife Lena Fletcher on June 29, 2020, at their home in Clearview Acres.

He appeared before Judge Richard Lavery for the July 19 argued sentencing hearing. In Wyoming, involuntary manslaughter is a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to 20 years.

The prosecution argued for the maximum penalty, and the defense recommended a suspended five- to seven-year sentence with supervised probation including the possibility of a program including substance abuse treatment at the Casper Reentry Center.

In announcing the sentence, Judge Lavery said that probation was not warranted and a period of incarceration was appropriate.

Fletcher, 46, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter during a jury trial in Sweetwater County Third District Court in April.

He claimed that his wife accidentally shot herself, but prosecuting attorneys said the evidence told “a different story” — that Lena Fletcher could not have done it. The jury agreed.

During final sentencing arguments, Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe said he knew that Lena Fletcher was loved. He said that while people talked about what she wanted, “I can tell you Lena wanted to be alive.”

She had defensive wounds in her hand, and that means you want to live, he said.

 

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