CHEYENNE n The Wyoming Supreme Court has upheld the murder conviction and life sentence of a woman who stabbed to death an alleged drug dealer in Kemmerer two years ago.

Eyvette Marie Talley was convicted in Lincoln County District Court of the February 2004 murder and robbery of Manual Leon-Leyva.

She was sentenced to life for felony murder plus 8-10 years for conspiracy to committee aggravated robbery.

According to the high court's review of the case, Talley was traveling from South Dakota to Arizona to get work in Arizona with her boyfriend; her three children; her brother, his wife and their three children.

They were using illegal drugs on the trip and stopped in Kemmerer because Talley's boyfriend, Brian Rawle, had previously lived there for a short time.

Rawle said he had connections with Leon-Leyva, an alleged drug dealer, Rawle called Leon-Leyva who agreed to meet him at a grocery store.

Rawle and Talley armed themselves with steak knives and parked the Cadillac behind the grocery store. Talley, Rawle and her brother, Marco Lemus, went to the other side of the building.

Talley told Mrs. Lemus to stay in the car with the children.

Later, Leon-Leyva drove up in his 1992 Isuzu Trooper and parked it in front of the Cadillac.

Mrs. Lemus testified she saw the Isuzu Trooper rocking and moving and approached the vehicle to see what was happening.

She said Talley emerged from the vehicle, covered in blood and sent Mrs. Lemus back to the Cadillac, got in on the driver's seat and put her knife between the seats.

Talley then followed the Isuzu Trooper driven by Rawle to a remote area outside of Kemmerer.

Talley and Rawle set fire to the vehicle with the body inside.

The charred vehicle and body were found later by an oil field worker who notified law enforcement authorities, the opinion said.

On appeal, Talley claimed the prosecutor committed misconduct when he asked her whether the prosecution witnesses were lying, a question courts forbid.

The Supreme Court opinion, written by Justice James Burke, agreed the questions were improper but said they did not prejudice Talley's right to a fair trial because of the weight of evidence against her.

In addition to the testimony of witnesses, the evidence included a brown wallet and gold chain belonging to Leon-Leyva that was in the possession of Talley and her co-conspirators, Burke wrote.

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