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    $2M bond set for 19-year-old murder suspect

    All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

    (Riverton, WY) – 19-year-old Brandon Monroe appeared before Judge Wesley Roberts on Wednesday, January 5th for his preliminary hearing. He currently faces two felony murder charges and two murder in the first degree charges.

    These charges stem from the January 2019 murders of Jocelyn Watt and Rudy Perez. Monroe is one of four implicated in this double homicide.

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    Enough probable cause was found at Monroe’s preliminary hearing to move this case to District Court along with all four charges. An arraignment date will be determined at a later time. A $2 million cash-only bond was also set.

    According to an affidavit filed in Riverton Circuit Court on December 10th, 2021, an interview took place between a Special Agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation and 17-year-old Patrick SunRhodes, a co-defendant also facing felony murder charges.

    SunRhodes, who was 14 at the time of the murders, recounted the evening of January 3rd, 2019, in the interview.

    According to court documents, he along with two other co-defendants 18-year-old Korbin Headley, who was 15, and 24-year-old Bryce Teran, who was 21, drove to a residence where a then 16-year-old Monroe got in the vehicle.

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    The four allegedly drank together in the vehicle for an unknown period of time.

    Monroe reportedly went into his residence and returned with methamphetamine and a firearm.

    He “used the methamphetamine,” and while wearing gloves, “said he needed to ‘go take care of business,'” court documents state.

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    With Teran, who also faces felony murder charges, driving to the Riverton residence, SunRhodes recalled Monroe, who was in the passenger seat, saying “he had bleached the bullets so he wouldn’t leave fingerprints.” He was then “observed loading bullets into the firearm.”

    SunRhodes alleges he asked to go home but his request was denied by Monroe.

    The vehicle was then parked in an alley near the Riverton residence, according to court documents.

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    Seeing that Headley, who faces a conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary charge, was “too drunk,” Monroe told SunRhodes to go with him.

    Monroe reportedly “walked to the back door of the residence and slammed his shoulder into the door several times until it broke open.” SunRhodes followed him inside the residence.

    Monroe went into a room later identified as the bedroom, while SunRhodes stayed in the living room/kitchen area, court documents state. “A few gunshots” were heard from the room Monroe went into.

    SunRhodes entered the bedroom and observed a woman lying face down and saw a male on the closet floor trying to struggle with Monroe, who proceeded to shoot him.

    He then recalled seeing Monroe “pick up a shotgun from the floor in the closet.” The same shotgun was reportedly seen with him in the vehicle after leaving the residence. Neither firearms have been recovered.

    SunRhodes alleges he fled the residence first and several minutes later Monroe ran out of the house and into the vehicle where he said, “Go, man, go.”

    During the preliminary hearing, it was stated that Monroe admitted to shooting Perez that evening during his interview with the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation on December 13th, 2021. According to his account, Perez was pointing a gun at him when he entered the room and he heard it click before he fired.

    It was also stated that both Perez and Watt were killed with the same small-caliber gun.

    County 10 will continue to share updates for each individuals’ case as they become available. Click here to view the latest.

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