Cheyenne man pleads guilty for role in drug overdose death of pro bull rider

Cheyenne man pleads guilty in bull rider’s death

CASPER, Wyo. — A Cheyenne man has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute the heroin and cocaine that led to the death of a professional bull rider.

Twenty-six-year-old Rhett Epler pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Casper as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. In exchange for Epler’s plea, prosecutors agreed to recommend he serve no more than five years in prison on a charge that normally carries a 20-year minimum.

Epler is one of four men charged in the Dec. 2 overdose of 21-year-old Cheyenne bull rider Bryan Guthrie.

Prosecutors say Christopher Tyson, Joel Murdoch and Kyle Walla traveled to Denver to buy heroin and cocaine, and that Guthrie gave the men money to help buy the drugs.

Information from: Casper Star-Tribune - Casper, www.casperstartribune.net