The Riverton man accused of fracturing the legs and other bones of his twin infant daughters pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of child abuse.
Anthony Michael Long, 27, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted and sentenced consecutively on both counts.
He entered his plea during an arraignment Tuesday in Fremont County District Court.
Long’s defense attorney, Fremont County Public Defender supervisor Jon Gerard, said that Long may plead “not guilty by reason of mental illness” later in the case.
In Wyoming, people found not guilty by reason of mental illness may be released once they are determined no longer to pose a danger to themselves or others.
Fremont County District Court Judge Jason Conder set Long’s jury trial for May 15.
The Allegations
Long was charged Nov. 23 after hospital staff in Riverton found broken bones and bruises on both of his 3-week-old daughters.
Long told his fiancée in a phone call from jail that the girls were “just so fragile, I was too aggressive,” according to prior court testimony.
“She kept kicking, so I grabbed her leg, I pulled it to the side,” Long is reported to have said, according to earlier court testimony. “I pulled too hard and I heard a little pop.”
