All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Lander, WY) – As of today, January 14, the affidavits have been filed concerning the three individuals who have been charged in relation to the fatal bar altercation that occurred on January 9, which the now-available court documents state resulted in the death of Lander man Evan Denevan.
The three individuals, Richard “Deak” Dollard (YOB 1972), his brother, Justin Dollard (YOB 1971), and Justin’s son Jesse Dollard (YOB 2004), will appear for their initial appearance hearing in Lander’s Circuit Court today, January 14.
Richard faces a murder in the second degree charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment (and no less than 20 years), as well as the alternative charge of voluntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of no more than 20 years imprisonment.
Justin and Jesse were both charged with accessory before the fact to murder in the second degree, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment (and no less than 20 years), as well as accessory before the fact to manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of no more than 20 years imprisonment.
As for the alternative charges for the Dollards, Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney Micah Wyatt explained it thusly: “The State recognizes that some common perception of adding the option for a manslaughter charge could appear to be an open door to take an easy out with a plea deal agreement. However, the State’s reasoning in including it in this case was to ensure that, should the matter proceed to trial by jury, the State would be certain to secure a conviction.”
The affidavits on file state that on January 9, at around 11:15 PM, the Lander Police Department was dispatched to the Maverick Bar, located on Main Street, for reports of a bar fight that left one individual, later determined to be Denevan, unconscious and not breathing.
When officers arrived on scene, bystanders were attempting to render aid, the affidavit continues, at which point officers also began attempting life-saving measures, but Denevan was ultimately determined to be deceased. The area was then secured as a crime scene. Witnesses soon told law enforcement that “Deak choked him”, referring to Richard.
Law enforcement then contacted Richard and requested that he present himself for an interview at the Lander Police Department. When Richard did so, he “invoked his right to have an attorney present,” the affidavit explains, with no further comments provided in the affidavit.
Law enforcement then contacted Justin, who provided a Mirandized interview and stated that he was involved in the altercation.
Justin told investigators that a verbal altercation occurred between Denevan, himself, and Jesse. Justin claimed that Denevan stated, “If you come over here, I will kick your ass,” before taking off his hat and glasses “in preparation for a fight.” Justin also told investigators that he had had issues with Denevan in the past.
At that point, Justin stated he approached Denevan, who then “threw a punch at Jesse,” which led to him pushing Denevan, and that when Denevan came back to hit Justin, the fight broke out. Justin stated that he hit Denevan “mostly on top of the head” and that they were “mostly wrestling” before other individuals began trying to pull them apart. Justin denied grabbing or hitting Denevan in the neck during the fight, when asked by investigators.
Justin then went on to state that when Richard arrived, he “pulled Denevan back to de-escalate the situation,” and that when he saw Denevan on the ground, he “walked away.”
Jesse also provided a Mirandized interview to investigators, during which he confirmed that he was involved in the fight and stated that he and Denevan had prior issues. Jesse claimed that on the night of the fight, Denevan was “calling him names,” and challenged him to a fight before he “directed his focus to Justin.”
Jesse told investigators that his “dad gets hot-headed” and “went after it,” referring to Justin engaging with Denevan. Jesse stated that he was “trying to break the fight up,” when “Uncle Deak tried to de-escalate the incident because he is trained in de-escalation.” Jesse then stated that he saw Denevan “was not getting up after the incident,” and that all of the Dollards then left when they “began getting death threats.”
The next day, Saturday, January 10, the Lander Police Department requested assistance from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (WDCI), whose agents began gathering digital evidence in the form of surveillance footage, bystander cell phone video, and body-worn camera video.
WDCI reviewed the digital evidence, the affidavit continues, which showed Jesse becoming “visibly upset and gesturing towards the area Denevan was located” in the bar, and that Jesse was then held back by “several bar patrons.”
While Jesse was being held back, the digital footage showed that Justin approached Denevan while he removed his hat and glasses, and that they then appeared to argue before Justin “utilized both hands to forcefully push Denevan in the chest.” Denevan then fell “backwards against the wall,” and advanced toward Justin as several individuals tried to separate them.
The footage then showed Jesse move past Justin and begin punching Denevan, and that when Denevan began punching back, Jesse was pushed back by bystanders as Justin advanced and began punching Denevan. The affidavit then states that the footage revealed eight to ten individuals continued to fight, when Richard entered the area.
Richard “placed his left arm around the neck of an individual and moved him to the side,” the affidavit continues, and then positioned himself behind Devevan with his right arm around his neck, clasping both hands together, approximating a “rear-naked choke hold.”
The affidavit explains that a “rear-naked choke hold” is defined as a grappling or martial arts submission hold used to quickly render an opponent unconscious. The hold “causes compression of the carotid arteries and jugular veins in the side of the neck, leading to insufficient oxygen and blood supply.”
“Besides rapid unconsciousness, other serious risks can occur from applying the hold, including, but not limited to, stroke, arterial damage, brain damage, cardiac arrest, and death,” the affidavit also explains.
Footage shows Richard maintaining the rear-naked choke hold for an “estimated 26-27 seconds before appearing to fall towards the opposite wall and release his grip.”
While Richard was still maintaining the hold and before he let go, footage shows Justin pulling on the hood of Denevan’s sweatshirt, which was over Denevan’s head at this point, in the opposite direction of Richard’s grip.
When Richard released his grip, the footage shows Denevan falling to the floor. Witness statements advised that Justin kicked Denevan in the torso after he fell to the floor. The Dollards then moved back to their original positions, with the affidavit stating that none attempted to render aid.
The affidavit also stated that Richard was “determined to be employed as a certified law enforcement officer” at the time of the incident, which County 10 confirmed was with Bureau of Land Management law enforcement.
As stated above, the initial appearance hearing for the Dollards will take place this afternoon in Lander’s Circuit Court.
County 10 will continue provide updates on the case as the court hearings progress.