After a four-day trial and just two hours of jury deliberation, Christopher Tarpey was found guilty of first-degree sexual assault for raping a 24-year-old Jackson woman on July 23, 2020, two months after she moved to town.
The case was tried in the Ninth Judicial District Court in Jackson by a 12-person jury and made public via an audio live-broadcast on the Wyoming Judicial Branch website. Due to COVID-19 concerns, in-person attendance was limited. But the public could tune in to listen to the trial.
Few sexual assault cases in Jackson make it through to trial, but due to the first-degree charge and the strength of the evidence, the state did not offer the defendant a plea deal and moved forward with the criminal trial. During the testimony, listeners heard graphic accounts and had a taste of the resort townâs party culture.
A Jackson massage therapist was arrested Tuesday night after a client said he sexually assaulted her during a massage.
The man appeared in Teton County Circuit Court on Wednesday afternoon charged with second-degree sexual assault, meaning that he âinflicted sexual intrusion on the victimâ while being in a position of authority over her.
The court referred to the man by his initials, VIS, because his name is considered confidential under Wyomingâs restricted disclosure law.
His name will be made public if enough probable cause is found for him to be arraigned in felony court, per state law.
The alleged victim called police Tuesday night immediately after the incident, according to charging documents.
Benjamin Sánchez Nieto is reminded of that night every time he takes off his shirt and sees the jagged scar where the knife went in â on the left side of his chest, not far from his heart.
âI donât understand why this happened,â Sánchez Nieto told the Jackson Hole Daily through a translator in a phone interview Tuesday. âI am happy to be here talking to you and happy to be alive.â
The longtime Jackson resident was stabbed Dec. 30 just as he was getting home from work.
Months later, Sánchez Nieto is still receiving medical care for his recovery.
A not guilty plea was entered for Riley Sills on Wednesday morning in Teton County District Court.
Sills is in Teton County Jail charged with attempted murder in the second degree after police said he stabbed a man Dec. 30 outside his Jackson apartment. He was then the subject of a lengthy, overnight standoff with police that went well into the afternoon on New Yearâs Eve.
In previous court hearings the Jackson man has said heâs innocent. Through public defender Elisabeth Trefonas, Sills asked the court Wednesday to reconsider his bond, which is $250,000 cash.
Prosecutors argued that Sillsâ bond shouldnât be lowered.