A 40-year-old Lander man who bludgeoned a house guest to death with a metal bar last April was sentenced Monday to between 25 and 50 years in prison.
Michael Vigil had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder April 29, after establishing a plea agreement with the Fremont County Attorney’s office – and after his January trial resulted in a hung jury.
Rather than go to trial a second time, Vigil chose to plead guilty and accept the 25-50-year sentence.
The family of the victim, 57-year-old Warren Jorgenson, delivered tearful statements before the court Monday in Lander.
Cassandra Burson, one of Jorgenson’s daughters, acknowledged that her father had struggled throughout his life with addiction – a weakness that led to him drinking with Vigil the night of April 13-14, 2024.
Jorgenson was dear to his family and had made beautiful memories with her and others, she added.
“When I was in labor with my third child Shane, Dad carried me up the stairs (and outside), because I could not walk,” said Burson, tearfully.
She spoke of “colonial violence,” a world in which Native Americans like Jorgenson have been forced to assimilate into the wider culture, sometimes with unfortunate results.
Removing Vigil from society may help keep others safe but won’t fix those broader problems, she said.
Burson voiced compassion and concern for Vigil, her father’s killer.
She said the world has been unkind to him too. Citing trial testimony, Burson said Vigil’s calls to veteran’s services didn’t bring the mental help he, a schizophrenic, needed; and his time in the foster care system exacerbated dark circumstances.
Vigil was ignored and “gaslit,” Burson said.
“(I’m sorry) you did not get the connection and care that all life deserves,” she said. “I hope you are able to feel the heart centering and connection and love of your ancestors.”
Thought I Knew What I Wanted To Say
Fremont County Attorney Micah Wyatt told the court he had a better idea what he wanted to say – before Burson’s statement, and before her indictments of the systems, histories and other factors that contributed to the tragedy.
The court can’t address all those, but it can address this case, added Wyatt.
“There’s no giving Mr. Jorgenson back to his family,” said the prosecutor.
Yet, Wyatt said he believes the “low number” on Vigil’s sentence of 25 years accounts for his mental illness and struggles with it; while the high number of 50 years accounts for Vigil’s violent actions and “troubling lack of respect for living beings.”
The state recognizes Vigil’s mental illness but doesn’t find that it excuses his culpability for that violence, said Wyatt.
Imperfect
Ryan Semerad, Vigil’s defense attorney, told the court that any conclusion wrought at Monday’s hearing would be “imperfect” since nothing could reverse a person’s death, and “whatever we do here will not fix the deeper (societal) problems.”
But he urged the judge to accept the plea agreement.
“He didn’t select to have a mental illness. He didn’t select to have an addiction,” said Semerad, adding that Vigil’s criminal history is relatively minor, and that the man served in the military.
Alicia Jordan, a family member of Vigil’s, voiced condolences toward Jorgenson’s family.
She also urged compassion toward Vigil, whom she called a “gentle soul” who’d suffered from mental illness for two decades.
What Grieves Them Most
Fremont County District Court Judge Jason Conder wanted it “crystal clear” and on the record that, despite Vigil’s early claims in the case and echoes of them that resurfaced during trial, Jorgenson did not try to molest Vigil.
Vigil on the night of April 13-14, 2024, invited Jorgenson to his home in Lander.
The pair drank and visited. At some point, things grew mentally intense for Vigil.
Vigil has suffered from delusions throughout his adult life and endured childhood sexual abuse, according to statements given during Vigil’s trial.
Vigil told police around the time of his arrest that he thought Jorgenson was trying to make a sexual advance on him, which neither the prosecutor nor defense advanced as an absolute truth during this case.
A major theory at trial was that, regardless of what the reality was, Vigil believed he was going to be sexually attacked at the time, under intense delusions.
Police found Jorgenson clothed in Vigil’s yard, after Vigil dragged the body from the bed to there.
Hearing Jorgenson’s daughters and granddaughter testify, Conder noted that what has harmed the family most, was the “narrative” that Jorgenson was in some way predatorial.
“(Jorgenson) was none of those things,” Conder said.
The tragedy was “horrific, senseless,” the judge continued, adding that “alcohol takes a toll on everyone.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
