CASPER — A 31-year-old man who tried to burn down his ex-boyfriend's house after they argued last summer — while saving his own pet snake from the fire — was sentenced Monday to serve six to eight years in prison.
David Lee Wilkinson appeared in Natrona County District Court with his attorney Dylan Rosalez before Judge Daniel Forgey and listened as the ex-boyfriend tell the judge how Wilkinson “destroyed everything in my life.”
Wilkinson entered a plea deal with the Natrona County District Attorney’s office on Feb. 19 where both a first-degree arson charge for the July 16 fire and a domestic battery charge for an Oct. 11 incident were admitted via an Alford plea.
The prosecution agreed to cap the prison sentence request at eight years.
The Alford plea mean Wilkinson did not plead guilty but admits there is enough evidence that would convict him of the charges if taken to trial.
A third-degree arson charge and domestic battery charge from July 16 were dropped.
‘Great’ And ‘Terrible’
Wilkinson’s ex told the court that his relationship with Wilkinson was “great” and “terrible” at the same time and that Wilkinson during their relationship had threatened violence against both him and his family.
“I tend to look for the best in people,” he said. “The abuse he inflicted on me was generally after the influence of alcohol.”
After Wilkinson’s arrest for the arson of his home, the ex-boyfriend said they remained in relationship while he was out on bond until Wilkinson was arrested in October on suspicion of domestic battery.
“I was addicted to my relationship with David and feared for my family,” he said.
The ex-boyfriend said his house and garage suffered more than $200,000 worth of damage and is still not “habitable” due to conflicts between his contractor and insurance company.
He asked the judge to impose a sentence that would help Wilkinson become rehabilitated and overcome his addictions, as well as help him deal with past trauma that occurred in his life.
'Terrible Crime'
Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Patrick LeBrun told the court that arson is a “terrible crime” because it it takes away “our own space” and “castle” that people look forward to retreating to after a day at work.
Fire also puts others in danger, he said.
“When you set fire to someone’s home you destroy it,” he said. “It’s extremely dangerous … (firefighters) are going to go in there and risk their lives. Firefighters die doing their job.”
LeBrun said that a prison term was appropriate and asked the judge to impose a sentence of 6.5 to eight years.
He also asked the court for $1,100 restitution for the home insurance deductible that his ex-boyfriend had to pay.
Rosalez told the court that his client is “remorseful about what happened” and the conduct that led to the fire.
“Alcohol played a significant role to his actions,” he said. “He wants a chance to make this right, a chance to show that he is law abiding.”
Rosalez asked the court for a suspended sentence of four to six years in prison, as well as well as three years of supervised probation that would include time in an addiction treatment center.
Wilkinson told the court that he wanted to “apologize” for his actions.
“I have taken steps to ensure this will not happen again,” he said. “I can’t fix what happened.”
Forgey said that after reviewing the case and the pre-sentence report, probation was not appropriate.
“Incarceration is appropriate due to the circumstances in this case,” he said.
Forgey then sentenced Wilkinson on the first-degree arson charge and gave him credit for 234 days served in jail as an appropriate sentence for the domestic battery charge.
Forgey ordered Wilkinson to pay the $1,100 restitution.
Background
The arson charge against Wilkinson stems from a 911 call at 3:42 a.m. reporting the house fire fire in the 2200 block of Sagewood Avenue on July 16, 2025.
A responding Casper Police Department officer found Wilkinson at the home with his pet snake.
“David stated he smoked a cigarette in the garage earlier and then went inside,” a police affidavit states. “David was in the living room when he noticed the residence getting cloudy.
"David grabbed his snake and tried to look for his two cats. David then called his mother … and exited the residence.”
When his parents arrived at the house, he told his mother, “I promise, I didn’t do anything,” the officer says in the affidavit.
Wilkinson initially told police he lived at the home with a 31-year-old male who was supposed to get off work at 2 a.m. and speculated the other man might be with an ex-boyfriend.
The affidavit states Mills Fire Chief Wil Gay investigated the blaze and reported the fire started in the garage and moved into the kitchen area.
Wilkinson told the fire chief that the owner was his boyfriend and was at work. He admitted to smoking in the garage and was unsure where he put his cigarette out.
Wilkinson told the chief that the fire was burning where there was a bunch of clothes in the garage, the affidavit states.
During an interview with the 31-year-old homeowner on the afternoon of July 16, the chief reported that the he said he and Wilkinson had an argument when he arrived home at 2 a.m. and attempted to kick Wilkinson out of his house and put all of Wilkinson’s clothes in the garage.
He told the fire chief that Wilkinson went to the garage to smoke, came back and then made a comment along the lines of, “Well, have fun with that, your garage is on fire,” the affidavit states.
The homeowner found a fire burning in a metal clothes basket, put it out with a fire extinguisher and told Wilkinson to leave.
When Wilkinson continued to argue, the homeowner left the residence about 3:15 a.m. and went to his parents’ home. He then got the text from Wilkinson at 3:24 a.m. saying that his house was on fire but did not see the text until the next morning, the affidavit states.
After Wilkinson’s arrest on the arson and a battery charge for his actions on July 16, he was released on bond.
Then A Fight
Then on Oct. 11, officers were called at 7:39 a.m. to the 200 block of South Kenwood Street for the report of a suspicious person.
A woman reported a man in a ripped black shirt and shorts came onto her porch and rang her doorbell.
He then opened her door, and she told him to sit on the porch as she called police, the affidavit states.
The affidavit states the man walked back to the house across the street.
As officers arrived at the scene, they heard a “bang” from inside and the 31-year-old who owned the Sagewood Avenue home, and who Wilkinson identified as his “ex-fiancé” in the arson case, was seen by police walking out the door of a residence across the street with a bruised eye.
Another officer found Wilkinson in the home.
The boyfriend told police they had agreed it would be their last night in a romantic relationship, and that if their relationship continued, “Wilkinson would kill (the boyfriend) due to domestic violence,” the affidavit states.
The boyfriend said they drank alcohol and smoked marijuana until he blacked out. At 7 a.m., he felt pain on his face. He then armed himself with a kitchen knife to get away from Wilkinson.
“Wilkinson stated that (the boyfriend) became ‘scary’ so Wilkinson beat him up,” the affidavit states.
Wilkinson told police that the boyfriend grabbed the knife after he beat him, and had threatened him with it.
Police also found a leafy green substance in the home and multiple glass pipes with residue, the affidavit states.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
