CHEYENNE - Defense attorneys for Robert Leroy Siler were not wrong to tell a Sweetwater County jury that their client killed his girlfriend the morning of Aug. 17, 2002, after a night of heavy drinking, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled.

In denying Siler's appeal, the Supreme Court said the defense attorneys were trying to avoid a first-degree murder conviction by the admission to show Siler was not in the required mental state of premeditation because of his intoxication, the court opinion said.

The strategy failed and the jury convicted Siler of first-degree murder in the death of Cheryl Ward at Siler's residence in Jamestown, near Green River.

He was sentenced to life in prison by District Judge Nena James.

According to the court opinion written by Justice Barton Voigt, Siler and Ward had been involved in a rather tumultuous long-term romantic relationship. The third person in the romantic triangle, Craig Cunningham, also had been romantically involved with Ward from June 2002 until Aug. 13, when she returned to Siler's residence.

The evening of Aug. 16, Siler went to Cunningham's residence and confronted him about his relationship with Ward. After an argument, the two men wound up drinking beer together at home and in downtown bars. At one point, Siler showed Cunningham a bone-handled knife with a 5- or 6-inch blade that he put in the back of his truck.

Siler then drove Cunningham to Siler's residence to confront Ward, who denied she had a relationship with Cunningham. Ward left, then returned while Cunningham slept on Siler's couch.

Cunningham testified he was awakened at about 5 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. by Ward "straddling" him on the couch and kissing him, the opinion said.

Siler woke up and was enraged, the opinion said, and left the residence apparently to get the knife from his truck.

Cunningham said he and Ward were sitting in the dining room when Siler came through the front door, walked over to Ward, bent her back in the chair and stabbed her in the chest.

Cunningham left Siler's residence and called 911 from another house in the area.

In rejecting all Siler's arguments on appeal, the Supreme Court noted the overwhelming evidence against Siler, including multiple confessions to the crime, the presence of Ward's blood on his hands and the murder weapon, the knife, in his sink.

Capital bureau reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at joan.barron@casperstartribune.net.