Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann announced Sept. 13 that the Cody man whose girlfriend disappeared while the couple and their two children were returning from Alabama in October of 2023 was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson.
Adam Shane Aviles, Jr., age 26, of Cody, Wyoming, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Based on evidence presented by the government at the sentencing hearing, Judge Johnson found that Aviles unlawfully possessed the ammunition in connection with the voluntary manslaughter of Katheryn Ferguson. She was reported missing in October 2023 and is presumed dead.
Aviles was arrested in early November 2023, after the Park County Sheriff’s Office found bullet holes, a fully loaded .45 caliber magazine and ammunition, and numerous blood-stained items inside his vehicle. Aviles is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition. Aviles was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 15, 2023 and he pleaded guilty on Jun. 14.
“Today’s sentence is a product of close cooperation between local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutors. We hope the sentence provides a measure of justice, however partial, for the loss of Katheryn Ferguson to her children and her family,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann. “This case is a sad reminder that felons cannot be trusted with firearms. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute gun crimes to help make the people of Wyoming safer.”
This crime was investigated by the Park County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Hammer.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Other recent sentencings, crimes on public lands:
Clarence Yoder, 40, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty to three separate charges last week. The first offense was for intentionally disturbing bison for which he was sentenced to a ten-day term of incarceration with credit for two days served and was fined $3,000. He also pleaded guilty to being under the influence of alcohol to a degree that rendered him a danger to himself and others and was fined $200. Finally, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was fined $250. Yoder was placed on two years of unsupervised probation. He is not permitted to enter Yellowstone National Park during his term of probation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed the sentence on Sept. 10, in Mammoth. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel C. Calmes prosecuted the case.
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