GILLETTE — A local man accused of killing his half-sister in January pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Campbell County District Court Thursday afternoon.
Sitting at a table next to his attorney with hands and feet shackled and wearing an orange prison-issued jumpsuit, Vincent Hackett, 26, politely told Judge Matthew Castano that he was alert and understood the charges as he entered his plea.
Hackett is accused of allegedly shooting his half-sister, 33-year-old Haleigh Martinez, three times and killing her at their mother’s house in Gillette on Jan. 21.
Behind him in the courtroom, his mother, Jennifer Hackett, sat with a small group of supporters. She declined to comment on her son’s case.
Greg Steward, chief deputy and prosecuting attorney for Campbell County, requested a two-week trial due to the potential complexities of the case, he said, with the date yet to be scheduled.
Hackett remains incarcerated at the Campbell County Detention Center on a $750,000 cash bond. Hackett’s attorney, Joshua Taylor, also declined to comment.
If found guilty, Hackett faces anywhere between a 20-year-sentence to life in prison.
Alcohol-Fueled Argument
The alleged shooting happened after a day of drinking, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Hackett, who lived at home with his mother at the time, got into multiple arguments with Martinez over the course of the day. His mother told police that the two did not get along because Hackett disproved of her lifestyle and the way she raised her three children, court documents state.
At one point, Martinez left the home and returned around 7:30 p.m. at which point the siblings began arguing again, prompting Hackett to tell Martinez to leave. He escorted her to the door, pushed her out onto an enclosed porch and locked the door.
This enraged Martinez pounded on the door, demanding to be let back in, court documents say.
That’s when the “door suddenly swung open,” according to the affidavit, at which point investigators said Hackett shot Martinez, who was taken to the hospital and later died of her injuries.
Jen Kocher can be reached at jen@cowboystatedaily.com.
