Latest from Dale Killingbeck
How Pilot Survived Crashing Airmail Plane On Way To Rock Springs In Winter 1922
In 1922, an open-cockpit airmail bi-plane crashed on the way to Rock Springs in winter. The pilot somehow survived, but it took more than 40 years to recover the wrecked plane. Now it hangs in the National Postal Museum.
Dale KillingbeckApril 20, 2025
It’s Been 20 Years Since Two Evanston Firefighters Died Trying To Save Children
It was 20 years ago on April 18, 2005, when Evanston, Wyoming, firefighters Robert Henderson and Jacob Cook ran into a burning apartment building to rescue children they thought were inside. The children had gotten out, but they died in the attempt.
Dale KillingbeckApril 18, 2025
Joe Pickett-Inspired Bourbon Hits Shelves Friday, Only 1,000 Bottles Available
Only 1,000 bottles of bourbon inspired by Joe Pickett, the popular mystery-solving game warden created by Wyoming author C.J. Box, are available. It goes on sale at liquor stores Friday and a release party at Pine Bluffs Distilling on Saturday.
Dale KillingbeckApril 17, 2025
Judge Closes Courtroom To Casper Foster Dad Trial
A judge closed the Casper courtroom Thursday where Steven Marler is on trial for multiple sexual abuse charges involving his adopted children and former foster children. The pause was to deal with legal issues.
Dale KillingbeckApril 17, 2025
Casper Foster Dad’s Defense Questions Validity Of Sex Abuse Claims By Kids
After six days of testimony from Steven Marler’s former adopted and foster children claiming multiple sex assaults, he gets his turn. The defense for the Casper, Wyoming, man started presenting its case Wednesday, questioning the validity of those claims.
Dale KillingbeckApril 16, 2025
1 Child Sex Charge Thrown Out For Casper Foster Dad, 19 Still Active
Defense attorneys for an award-winning former foster dad Tuesday asked a Natrona County District Court judge for an acquittal of 11 of 20 sexual abuse charges. The prosecutor and judge responded by throwing out one of the charges.
Dale KillingbeckApril 16, 2025
More Graphic Testimony From Children In Casper Foster Dad Sex Abuse Trial
A former foster daughter of Steven Marler testified Monday about how he sexually assaulted her in the family’s master bedroom. Other former foster children also detailed alleged physical abuse in the family’s Casper Mountain home.
Dale KillingbeckApril 14, 2025
Casper Artist Saves Vintage Wyoming Neon Landmarks One Sign At A Time
Casper artist Connie Morgan has a passion for intense heat, bending glass and neon gas. She’s saving Wyoming’s vintage neon landmarks one sign at a time, like the giant Tumble Inn Cowboy.
Dale KillingbeckApril 13, 2025
Adopted Daughter Says She Was 9 Or 10 When Dad’s Massages Progressed To Rape
The adopted daughter of Casper foster dad Steven Marler, 50, testified Friday that she was 9 or 10 when his massages turned to molestations and rape. When he lost interest in her, she says he “was moving on to the younger girls.”
Dale KillingbeckApril 11, 2025
Jury Shown Home Videos Of Award-Winning Foster Dad On Trial For Sex Abuse
A naked boy with marks on his leg and his adopted father holding a belt were among the videos shown to jurors Thursday in the trial of an award-winning Casper foster dad facing 26 charges, including sexual abuse of children in his care.
Dale KillingbeckApril 10, 2025
Trial Starts For Former Casper Foster Dad Facing 26 Child Sex Charges
A trial began Wednesday for a former Casper foster dad facing 26 child sex charges, accused of abusing four girls in his care. The district attorney says Steven Marler at one point told a victim that, “I know I shouldn’t love you like this, but I do.”
Dale KillingbeckApril 09, 2025
Casper Teen Who Shot Ex-Girlfriend At Point-Blank Range Gets 42-75 Years In Prison
A 16-year-old Casper boy who said “I just want to kill someone” before shooting his ex-girlfriend at point-blank range got 42-75 years in prison Tuesday. For the girl’s family, the pain is still raw. “I scream on the inside all day long,” her father said.
Dale KillingbeckApril 08, 2025
Casper Teen Tells Police Stabbing Another Teen 5 Times Was ‘Self-Defense Yo’
The Casper Police Department announced Monday that an arrest warrant has been issued for a Casper teen accused of stabbing another teen five times. He told police the victim tried to beat him up, so the stabbing is “self-defense yo.”
Dale KillingbeckApril 07, 2025
Meet LoRayne Day, The Casper Beauty Who Became A Hollywood Star
Before she gained fame in the 1950s as a Hollywood and Western star, LoRayne Day was a student at Natrona Count High School in Casper. A beauty, she got the lead in a Western, had a hit record and even had a doll made of her.
Dale KillingbeckApril 06, 2025
She’s Why Drivers Love Stopping At The Independence Rock Rest Area
Amanda Wilson goes way above and beyond her contract to keep the bathrooms clean and trash emptied at the Independence Rock Rest Area. Her homey touches are why drivers love stopping there.
Dale KillingbeckApril 06, 2025
Wyoming History: The 1983 Rampage That Killed A Gillette Cop And Family Of 4
On a cold December day in 1983, a Wyoming power plant worker’s jealous anger boiled over into a violent and deadly rampage. He used automatic weapons and pipe bombs, killing a family of four, then a Gillette cop in an ambush before killing himself.
Dale KillingbeckApril 05, 2025
Former Bar Nunn Fire Chief Denies Stealing From Fill The Boot Fundraiser
A former Bar Nunn fire chief pleaded not guilty Thursday to allegations he stole more than $2,600 from the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Fill the Boot fundraiser. He’s also accused of more than $20,000 worth of misuse of a department credit card.
Dale KillingbeckApril 03, 2025
Casper 18-Year-Old Pleads Not Guilty In Shooting Death Of 16-Year-Old Friend
A Casper 18-year-old pleaded not guilty Tuesday to shooting and killing his 16-year-old friend while hanging out and playing video games. Police say he also has a history of showing off guns and pointing them at people.
Dale KillingbeckApril 01, 2025
More Than A Century Of Ranching Along Hat Six Road Near Casper
Casper’s ranching history goes back more than a century, and a lot of that has happened along Hat Six Road. For generations, these legacy ranches have built Natrona County’s future while preserving its past.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 30, 2025
Wyoming History: Wild Bunch Outlaw Tom O’Day Traded His Colt To Pay A Debt
The Fort Caspar Museum has a Colt single-action Army pistol said to have belonged to Wild Bunch outlaw Tom O’Day. He gave it to his attorney as payment for defending him in a 1904 trial.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025
Wyoming Remains Huge Gap In 3,700-Mile Cross-Country Trail System
An ambitious effort to build more than 3,700 miles of trails across 12 states and Washington, D.C., moves ahead. But Wyoming remains a huge gap in connecting the West and East coasts.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025
Evansville Man Gets Up To 18 Years For Killing Man In Drug Deal Gone Bad
A 26-year-old Evansville man was sentenced to 12-18 years in prison Tuesday for the Feb. 1, 2024, killing of a 30-year-old Casper man in a drug deal gone bad. The victim’s brother testified he was “not an angel,” but “didn’t deserve to die.”
Dale KillingbeckMarch 26, 2025
Casper Man Empties Handgun As His Truck Is Stolen, Then Catches Up To It
A 41-year-old Casper man is expected in court Tuesday, accused of stealing a truck. The owner of the truck emptied a handgun at it as it was driven away, then caught up to it in another car and held the alleged thief at gunpoint until police got there.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 25, 2025
It's A Real Job: Horse Bodywork Therapist
Meaghan Peterson knows all about the 700 muscles that control a horse’s movement. The Thermopolis resident is a certified equine sports bodywork therapist. Her clientele is mostly between Cody and Casper although she does travel to other states too.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 23, 2025
Wyoming’s Top Ride? No Surprise, It’s The Ford F-150, Followed By Pickups And More Pickups
Whether the driver wears a cowboy hat or not, the seasons, roads and terrain of Wyoming mean pickups are the choice for drivers in the state. And the Ford F-150 is number one.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025
Wyoming History: Uranium Miner Was So Radioactive Grass Wouldn’t Grow On His Grave
Judd McDonald participated in an out-of-control nuclear bomb explosion to being an underground miner at a Nevada test site to blasting uranium out of a mine in Jeffrey City, Wyoming. He says he's the only one still alive who can tell the story of many who died way too young.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025
‘Every Hockey Parent’s Worst Nightmare’: Casper Youth Player Takes Skate To Neck
The mom and dad of an 11-year-old Casper youth player said what happened Sunday was “every hockey parent’s worst nightmare” — their son took a skate to the neck. A new rule mandating players wear neck guards likely saved his life.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 22, 2025
Fort Washakie Man Who Killed Wife In Front Of Their Young Daughter Gets 30 Years
A Fort Washakie man was given 30 years in prison Friday for shooting and killing his wife in front of their 11-year-old daughter in April 2024. The judge escalated his sentence because the girl “had to witness the death of her mother with her own eyes.”
Dale KillingbeckMarch 21, 2025
Huge 150,000-Square-Foot Sports Facility Brings $1M To Casper In First Weeks
In its first weeks of operation in Casper, the huge 150,000-square-foot WYO Sports Ranch has made a $1 million economic impact on the community. It’s already drawing attention to host state and national tournaments.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 21, 2025
Casper’s ‘Seven Wonders’ Are Odd, Unusual And Gravity-Defying
While the Seven Wonders of Casper may not be as famous as other landmarks in Wyoming like Old Faithful, Devils Tower or Independence Rock, they are unusual, interesting and worth seeing in a couple of hours, scavenger hunt style.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 16, 2025
Why The Heck … Is There A 10-Foot T. Rex Fishing The North Platte Near Alcova?
Drift boat fishermen along the North Platte River are often surprised to see a T. rex statue looking down on them from a bluff east of Alcova. The 10-foot tall metal dinosaur is fishing, and has even hooked a catch.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 16, 2025
Casper Man Pleads Not Guilty To Charges From January Stabbing
A 71-year-old Casper man pleaded not guilty Friday to three charges stemming from a January stabbing at his apartment. He allegedly told police one of the stabbings was an accident.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 14, 2025
Other Than Saying Case Is ‘Complicated,’ Casper Police Mum On Fatal Shooting
Casper police said Wednesday they continue to investigate Saturday’s fatal shooting of a man at a local home. There have been no arrests, and other than saying the case is “complicated,” little is being released about the shooting.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 12, 2025
Casper Man Pleads Guilty To Shooting Crossbow Bolt Into Ex-Girlfriend’s Home
A 47-year-old Casper man admitted in court Wednesday to shooting a crossbow bolt through a window where his ex-girlfriend was staying last September. He bragged about doing something that would be “in the news.”
Dale KillingbeckMarch 12, 2025
Casper Police Say Man Shot And Killed During “Physical Altercation” With Family
Casper police report that an argument between family members escalated, leading to a man being shot to death Saturday. No arrests as an investigation continues.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 10, 2025
Casper Police Investigate ‘Suspicious Death' Of Man In Southside Home
Police in Casper were dispatched to a southside neighborhood home Saturday night to find an adult male dead. The police told Cowboy State Daily the incident is being investigated as a "suspicious death."
Dale KillingbeckMarch 09, 2025
Wyoming History: The Lost 9-Year-Old Who Eluded Casper Mountain Search For 11 Days
In 1971, a 9-year-old boy made national headlines when he wandered away from a pingpong game on Casper Mountain. A search team from Colorado finally found him after the boy eluded searchers for 11 days. As a result, Casper formed its own search and rescue squad.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 08, 2025
Ex-Casper Cop Pleads Guilty To Shooting At Deputies During 17-Hour Standoff
A 31-year-old former Casper police officer pleaded guilty Thursday to six of seven charges stemming from a 17-hour standoff in August 2024, where prosecutors say he shot at police.
Dale KillingbeckMarch 06, 2025
Dick Cheney Federal Building In Casper Shows Up On Federal Hit List To Be Sold
Dick Cheney has been on President Donald Trump’s political hit list for some time. Now a federal building named for the former vice president was on a Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) hit list to be sold amid a federal downsizing frenzy.
Clair McFarland & Dale KillingbeckMarch 05, 2025