A Riverton woman who shot her boyfriend in the foot during an alcohol-fueled argument was sentenced Tuesday to between three and five years in prison.
Jordan Christine Weliever, who turns 32 this year, had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in October for shooting off part of Tom Caproni’s fourth toe in April. The charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, but Weliever accepted a plea agreement in which the prosecutor agreed to limit her argument to seven years in prison.
Fremont County District Court Judge Kate McKay sentenced Weliever to three-to-five-years in prison Tuesday but indicated that the woman can apply for a sentence reduction within the next year.
Weliever was also ordered to pay about $6,100 to reimburse the state of Wyoming for Caproni’s medical expenses, plus about $4,800 to reimburse Caproni’s female friend for having shot up the woman’s truck.
Weliever was not convicted of property destruction but had agreed to pay restitution for damages anyway, as part of her plea agreement.
The case prosecutor, Fremont County Assistant Attorney Ember Oakley, argued for a sentence of between four and seven years in prison.
Weliever’s defense attorney Ryan Semerad argued for a “suspended” prison sentence of McKay’s preferred length, over a term of probation. That means he argued for a term of probation with the threat of prison if Weliever were to fail probation.
The Model Client
Weliever has a short criminal history and has completed treatment, Semerad told the court. She was a model client while out of jail on bond, he added.
She accepted responsibility by pleading guilty and taking a plea agreement involving a possible prison term; she also cooperated with law enforcement, including by turning herself in to police, the attorney noted.
Semerad had said Weliever was trying to get Caproni to leave her alone that night.
Last April …
Weliever called Fremont County dispatch about 8:29 a.m. April 4, 2024, to report that her boyfriend, Thomas Caproni, had been shot in the foot, says a case affidavit by Fremont County Sheriff’s Detective Anthony Armstrong.
“It was me,” said Weliever, according to the document. “I shot him.”
A sheriff’s lieutenant responded to Caproni’s home on Saltbrush Road just west of Riverton. A blood trail led from the dirt driveway up the ramp to the porch and the door.
The lieutenant made several attempts to contact Caproni, who eventually answered the door and revealed an obvious gunshot wound to his right foot, which was actively bleeding, says the document.
Caproni said it happened at Weliever’s home on Missouri Valley Road in Shoshoni. They’d been drinking alcohol together. He wanted to leave, and went outside with no clothes on, wrapped in a blanket because he knew Weliever’s daughter was in the home, the document says.
Weliever came out and threw his clothes at him. While he was putting his pants on, she shot him in the foot, dropping him to the ground, says the affidavit.
She kept firing a semiautomatic handgun at him from about 15-20 feet away, the document continues, hitting his Harley-Davidson motorcycle with bullets. Caproni told investigators she emptied the magazine and put a new one in during the shooting.
Weliever then drove Caproni to his home outside Riverton, in her truck. He started walking up the ramp and inside his home, but then he heard more gunshots from his driveway; and he fled inside and locked the door, the document says.
Weliever was shooting a truck in Caproni’s driveway that belonged to his “female friend,” says the document.
The woman’s truck was damaged with bullet holes; had broken windows, interior damage and a bullet strike to the driver’s side headrest, the detective added.
In Weliever’s home, investigators found blood, shell casings and bullet holes in the Harley. They arrested Weliever and took her to the sheriff’s office.
Armstrong and Fremont County Sheriff’s Detective Sara Lowe found blood on the front passenger door frame of Weliever’s truck, which looked like it had dripped down while the door was open, the document says.
They also found bullet impacts on a child’s soccer rebound net and on the concrete patio.
The Saga
Oakley pointed to the prolonged, saga-like nature of Weliever’s attacks while arguing for a stiff sentence Tuesday.
Caproni had told investigators that Weliever reloaded the handgun during the first shooting of the two shootings before firing again. She also unleashed a spray of bullets at his home later, as well.
Oakley reasoned that Weliever should spend time in prison for having shot so frequently and for so long. The charge of which she’s been convicted – aggravated assault – covers a wide range of conduct that includes just pointing a gun at someone.
The prosecutor also pointed to Caproni’s long-term pain and disability from having his toe partially shot off.
Because Wyomingites love their guns and cherish gun rights culturally, Weliever’s breach of proper gun use should be met with strict punishment, the prosecutor added.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
