BREAKING: Cheyenne Men Found ‘Not Guilty’ in 2015 Rape Case
A Laramie County jury on Friday acquitted two Cheyenne men accused of raping a 14-year-old girl at a party three years ago.
It took the jury less than two hours to find 20-year-old Kelby F. Niebuhr and 21-year-old Owen Soto not guilty of first-degree sexual assault-force.
The alleged victim claimed the two and another male (M.D.) took turns holding her down on a couch and raping her during a party on Jan. 24, 2015, but evidence presented at trial suggested the girl lied about the incident.
"This week in Wyoming we've demonstrated how difficult it is to get a conviction in these kinds of cases," said District Attorney Jeremiah Sandburg, making reference to the Tony Cercy case in Casper.
Had Niebuhr and Soto been found guilty, they would have faced five to 50 year prison sentences.