The Big Piney man accused of firing an arrow through his friend’s arm, aorta and into his trachea in February agreed Thursday to plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder.
Rowan Littauer originally faced a first-degree murder charge on claims that he and another friend, Orion Schlesinger, marched more than a mile in freezing temperatures the night of Feb. 1-2 and into the home of Dakota Farley, to kill him.
They barged into Farley’s home, where Littauer shot Farley with two arrows from a compound bow, the case affidavit says.
The document alleges that Littauer then riddled Farley’s scalp with BBs from a BB gun and left the man dead on his floor for days before confessing to killing him in a boastful text to a young woman.
Schlesinger pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to conspiring to commit second-degree murder.
Schlesinger’s sentencing is set for Dec. 19.
Littauer at that time was still advancing pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental illness.
He changed course Thursday, signing a plea agreement that says he’ll plead guilty to second-degree murder and mutilation of a dead body.
Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich, who is the prosecutor, and Elisabeth Trefonas, who is Littauer’s attorney, agreed to recommend a 75-to-life prison term for Littauer, under the terms of the agreement.
Littauer would pay court costs and restitution. The amount of restitution will be determined at his sentencing hearing.
It is up to the Sublette County District Court Judge whether to accept the agreement. Littauer can withdraw his guilty plea if she rejects the agreement.
Littauer may change his plea Dec. 10 during a scheduled pretrial conference hearing, Melinkovich confirmed Thursday to Cowboy State Daily.
In Court Last Month
Schlesinger and Farley were friends who played video games together and took at least one trip to Rock Springs together, said Melinkovich at Schlesinger’s Oct. 16 change-of-plea hearing.
At some point, Littauer in a text message to a friend characterized Farley as a “pedophile,” according to earlier court testimony that Melinkovich did not reiterate Thursday.
Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Travis Lanning in a March hearing testified that as far as he knew, Farley hadn’t targeted any children, but that Schlesinger’s girlfriend — a minor female — told investigators that Farley had “creeped her out” though he didn’t touch her.
On the night of Feb. 1, Melinkovich continued, Schlesinger woke up his girlfriend and told her he was going to Littauer’s home, and that together they would go to Farley’s house to kill him.
Melinkovich said the two men walked more than a mile in the night with temperatures around 32 degrees and winds blowing at about 20 mph.
They entered Farley’s home. Littauer shot the man with an arrow, killing him almost instantaneously, the prosecutor related from the coroner’s investigation and autopsy report.
The arrow went through Farley’s arm, through his aorta and into his trachea, killing him, according to Lanning’s March testimony.
Littauer shot another time, then riddled Farley’s scalp with BBs from a BB gun, and Schlesinger was present for that, said the prosecutor.
Schlesinger took a gun from Farley’s home and gave it to another person for safekeeping, Melinkovich said.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
