News – Sheridan Media
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A hearing was held Monday in Fourth Judicial District Court regarding a 34-year-old Sheridan man charged with involuntary manslaughter. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.
The Prosecution in the involuntary manslaughter case against Cody McCalla is requesting that 404(b) evidence be admissible at McCalla’s jury trial scheduled for next month in District Court. The 404(b) evidence the State is seeking to present at trial includes that McCalla was drinking and driving the day the alleged crime occurred; a 2021 battery conviction that was the result of an incident where McCalla knocked an individual unconscious with a punch at a family event, and statements that Dustin Wheeler made to law enforcement about McCalla’s temperament. The State is alleging that the initial statements Wheeler gave law enforcement shortly after they arrived on scene on the evening of July 12, 2024, are inconsistent with the story he’s telling now.
District Court Judge Ben Kirven will issue a ruling on the admissibility of the 404(b) evidence prior to the start of the jury trial in March. Monday’s hearing comes on the heels of a two-day hearing last Thursday and Friday on McCalla’s motion to dismiss under Wyoming Statute 6-2-602, which is the state’s stand your ground law that allows a person to use reasonable force, including deadly force, if they feel they are in danger of serious bodily injury or death.
McCalla was arrested and charged with the crime of involuntary manslaughter for punching 48-year-old Patrick Mudd in the face, causing traumatic brain injury that resulted in Mudd’s death. The incident took place on July 12, 2024 on West 5th Street in Sheridan. The fight between the two men was the result of a parking dispute. A five-day jury trial remains scheduled to begin on March 3. The charge of involuntary manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
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Last modified: February 4, 2025