On Tuesday, Rajion Vu was sentenced to 12-18 years for involuntary manslaughter and seven to 10 years for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver stemming from the Feb. 1, 2024, shooting of 30-year-old man in a drug deal gone bad.
Vu was arrested following a flight to South Dakota after he shot Brandon Lopez during an attempt by Lopez to buy marijuana, according to court documents and testimony.
Vu and his girlfriend drove to a location in southcentral Casper to meet Lopez, where Lopez threatened to kill them and attempted to flee with marijuana from the car without paying. Vu got out of the car and fired three times, shooting Lopez once in the back. He later died at Banner Wyoming Medical Center in Casper.
Vu told the court just before the judge’s ruling that he regretted his actions. He apologized to the Lopez family and his own family.
“I had no intention to harm anybody. I feared for our lives and believe we were about to fired upon,” Vu said. “I take responsibility for my actions, I am sorry your honor.”
The four-hour sentencing hearing involved expert witnesses, testimony from the defendant’s girlfriend, and an apology from the defendant. The sentencing was part of a plea deal between Vu, his attorney Keith Nachbar and the Natrona County District Attorney’s office.
The courtroom on Tuesday was packed with family of both Vu and the victim. Lopez’s family asked the judge to give Vu the maximum sentence for taking the life of a man his family characterized as a fun and loving brother and son who was a source of encouragement on a bad day.
Family Pain
Angelina Martinez, Lopez’s sister told the court she had an emptiness in her heart since her brother was killed.
“Brandon will always be the light of my life,” she said. “I am mourning the loss of his hopes and dreams.”
His brother Maurice testified that his brother was only 5’3 and 180 pounds and a threat to no one. He said they were roommates, who were trying to get their lives on track.
“He’s not an angel,” he said. “But he didn’t deserve to die.”
Testimony from Bruce Champagne, a former police officer and consultant for the defense, alleged that the facts of the case show that Lopez may have had a weapon at the time of the drug deal and that there was enough time for Lopez’s girlfriend and an acquaintance who was initially with him at the scene to remove the gun before a good Samaritan and police arrived.
Casper Police Detective Christopher Miller testified that Lopez had repeatedly asked his girlfriend and girlfriend’s mother for a weapon, but both said they did not give one to him. Miller said they never found any weapon on Lopez and did not believe he had one.
Champagne also testified about a “flinch” reflex that could have caused Lopez to turn his back to Vu and be shot in the back, rather than the prosecution’s statements that he was running away and no threat to Vu.
Girlfriend Testifies
Vu’s girlfriend Angelina Smith testified that she drove Vu’s Subaru to the location near the corner of 14th and Cottonwood Streets in Casper and saw two men hiding behind bushes. After 15 minutes they walked up to the car and she locked the doors. She said Vu rolled down the window and told them only one could get in.
She said Lopez got into the car and that she only looked back at him initially and the rest of the time was looking forward. Smith testified that Lopez said he didn’t have cash for the entire purchase and wanted to use his girlfriend’s cash app for the rest. When Vu told him he could just buy half with the cash, Lopez told them he was having problems getting his wallet out.
Then he threatened them, raising his voice, Smith testified.
“He told us he had a f***ing gun and was going to f***ing shoot us,” she said.
“Were you scared he was actually going to kill you?” Nachbar asked.
“Yeah, I was,” Smith said.
Smith testified that Vu typically did not carry a weapon during his marijuana transactions.
Natrona County Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson told the judge that the court needed to focus on Vu’s choice the night of the drug deal to pull the trigger. He said the issue of the sentencing was not about Lopez’s criminal history brought out by the defense.
“I hear somehow that Mr. Lopez deserved this,” he said. “Mr. Lopez was shot in the back as he was running away over a few hundred dollars of marijuana.”
Nelson pointed out the the investigation following the shooting uncovered a cache of weapons and $495,000 in cash in a safe that all belonged to Vu. He said Vu shot him in part because he needed to protect his reputation.
‘Reckless And Voluntary Choices’
“Mr. Lopez is dead due to the reckless and voluntary choices of this defendant,” he said.
Nelson asked for 18-20 years on the manslaughter charge and 7.5-10 years on the possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver charge.
“This (was) done in a school zone,” he said.
He argued that Vu and Smith ditched the weapon and drugs in an alley trash can, went back to their apartment, and then took another vehicle to South Dakota. They returned a day later and were arrested by police.
Nachbar asked the judge to consider the fact his client was afraid for his life and consider the evidence brought out by Champagne that refuted some of the “assumptions” made in the Casper police investigation.
On the night of the shooting it was dark and his client felt threatened. He said his client had been successful because he was someone who was calm, thoughtful, and avoided violence.
“Feb. 1, 2024, was out of the ordinary for Mr. Vu,” he said.
Nachbar said his client’s decision to fire his weapon at Lopez was an “instinctive” response.
‘Potential’
Vu’s brother Dayja Vu characterized his brother as an “exceptional person” and now a “man of God.”
“He isn’t a violent individual. He treats everyone with respect,” he said. “Rajion has potential, and he has the capability to contribute to society.”
A jail chaplain, John Herman, told the court that he has gotten to know Vu at the jail and knows Vu is not a person with “an evil heart.”
“He’s on a good path now,” Herman said. “I don’t believe you will ever see him in this courtroom again.”
Johnson said that the case represented a “no-win situation for everyone in the courtroom.” She told Vu that he created the whole event through his dealing marijuana.
“It’s clear he made a threat to you, but at the end of the day, you created the situation,” she said.
Johnson ordered both sentences to be served concurrently and ordered $7,000 in restitution to a victim’s fund and $6,500 in funeral costs.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
