SHERIDAN, Wyo. - A Sheridan man has been sentenced for killing a Montana woman in Colorado.
Casey Childers was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping, reports Sheridan Media.
According to court documents filed in Castle Rock, Colo., in November 2021 Childers along with Shantel Edlund, also of Sheridan, and the victim, Rachel Holeman of Shepherd, Mont., traveled to the Denver area for what turned out to be a drug run.
At some point, Holeman went missing.
Police in Aurora, Colo., launched an investigation when they learned Holeman’s phone went off line within their jurisdiction, and that Childers and Edlund had deactivated the cell phone numbers that they had.
After searching Edlund’s Facebook messages, it was discovered that sometime during the drug run, Holeman was to be brought to Edlund and Childers.
A meeting was established within the Children’s Hospital Parking garage in Aurora, and that was when Leo Vanbuskirk, also of Sheridan, got involved in the situation because he was with his girlfriend and her sick child who was being treated in the hospital.
At the meeting, Holeman was taken out of one vehicle and placed in Edlund’s vehicle with Childers and Vanbuskirk also inside.
When initially interviewed by investigators, Edlund said the plan was to go to the middle of nowhere, leave Holeman and make her walk back because Holeman was under suspicion that she had tried to go around Childers to get direct contact with a supplier.
The middle of nowhere ended up being a short distance south of Franktown, southeast of Denver.
Another person who ended up driving Edlund and Childers back to Sheridan told investigators that during the trip Childers had a fit of rage saying that he killed her.
Holeman’s body was found on the morning of New Year’s Eve 2021.
A shell casing was found near the body, and an empty handgun box and magazine were found not far away.
A coroner determined her death was homicide by gunshot.
Childers was also sentenced to 32 years and 16 years in prison respectively, for the kidnapping and conspiracy convictions.
All three sentences will run concurrent with each other (at the same time).
Vanbuskirk has already pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree kidnapping and conspiracy to commit second-degree murder.
As part of a plea deal, Colorado prosecutors will seek a prison sentence of no more than 10 to 32 years, although a judge could reject the plea deal and impose a different sentence.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in mid-October.
Edlund has already pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and is currently serving 18 years in prison, followed by 5 years of parole.
