Cheyenne Man Serving Life on Murder Counts Blames Defense

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A Cheyenne man serving life in prison is appealing his murder convictions, claiming lawyers at the Wyoming Public Defender's Office weren't qualified to defend him against death penalty charges.

The Wyoming Supreme Court will hear 36-year-old Nathaniel Castellanos' appeal next week.

Castellanos was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the August 2011 shootings of three people at his Cheyenne home.  A jury rejected the death penalty and Castellanos is serving life in prison.

Castellanos now argues the state violated his constitutional rights by waiting over 900 days to bring him to trial.  He claims lawyers who represented him from the Wyoming Public Defender's Office weren't qualified to handle his death penalty case.

The Wyoming Attorney General's Office maintains Castellanos got a fair trial.