CHEYENNE — A 25-year-old transient accused of plunging a knife into the back of a man to steal his backpack and sunglasses will wait another week to enter a plea to a charge of attempted second-degree murder.
William Autery Jr. was scheduled for a Thursday plea hearing in Laramie County District Court, but that has been reset for Feb. 11, according to court records.
He remains in the Laramie County Detention Center on a $1 million bond, and also faces a felony charge of aggravated robbery with serious bodily injury.
Autery told police the stabbing was self-defense, but he won’t get to make that argument until appearing in the felony court.
Autery, who is deaf, scuffled with a 55-year-old man while allegedly trying to steal the older man’s belongings, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
During the fight, the older man reported he “felt a sharp pain in his back” then he “fell to the ground and could not feel his legs,” the affidavit says.
The stabbing happened Jan. 6 near 1215 West Lincolnway in an area near railroad tracks. After Autery ran from the scene, the older man “drug himself along the ground with his hands” about two blocks, the affidavit says.
He was found by responding police officers in the parking lot of the Wyoming Motel at 1401 West Lincolnway.
What Happened
The altercation began when Autery approached the 55-year-old man sitting on the ground. Autery was described as a tall man with a red beard and wearing a hoodie, who told the older man he was deaf. He then took the other man's items off the ground.
That’s when the older man reportedly “tried to grab his bag back from the suspect,” the affidavit says. “The two engaged in a brief altercation over the bag, at which time (the victim) felt a sharp pain in his back.”
The older man said he fell to the ground and had lost feeling in his legs.
The affidavit states the victim was taken to Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and then sent to the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado.
He was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury due to the stabbing, which left his left leg paralyzed and right leg with limited movement.
Autery was found the next afternoon at a truck stop. He told police he was waiting for a ride so he could leave the area.
When officers told him he was being detained for the stabbing the previous night, Autery “shook his head in acknowledgement and motioned to his boot.”
In the boot, “Officers found a K-Bar-style fighting knife,” the affidavit states.
At the police station, Autery typed out on a computer that “he wanted to claim self-defense in the altercation” and requested an attorney.
If convicted, the attempted murder charge is punishable by 20 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The aggravated robbery charge carries between five and 25 years in prison and a potential $10,000 fine.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
