Albany County Man Faces Felony Charges for Beating Father in Front of Child

A bedroom security camera in a Laramie home captured what authorities say is the clearest evidence against Devon Jordan Vasquez: the 32-year-old striking his own father repeatedly, then walking out of the room, leaving a man unconscious with an inch-and-a-half gash between his eyes and what appeared to be a broken nose.

That footage, paired with a knife recovered from the hallway and a post-Miranda admission by Vasquez himself, prompted the Albany County county attorney to elevate the case to felony court Tuesday. Vasquez faces an aggravated assault and battery charge that carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Albany County Sheriff's Office deputies were called at about 10:20 p.m. Saturday to a report of "an active domestic between two male subjects," according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Deputy Joseph Hiller. Arriving at the victim's residence, Hiller found Vasquez outside, covered in blood. The affidavit notes that "although covered in blood, not much, if any, of it appeared to be his own." Standing beside Vasquez was his juvenile daughter.

The affidavit recounts a brutal sequence inside the father's bedroom: Vasquez allegedly pushed his father, then punched him repeatedly until the man struck his head on a nightstand and lost consciousness. When the father came to, Vasquez had a knife pressed to his throat. The bedroom camera recorded Vasquez "assaulting him multiple times and leaving the bedroom," Hiller wrote; the knife turned up in the hallway.

The alleged violence had started earlier that same night. Before driving to his father's home with his daughter, Vasquez allegedly threatened other family members with a crowbar at a separate residence. He appeared intoxicated when deputies arrived, smelling of alcohol, with slurred speech and bloodshot eyes, and told deputies he had last drunk about an hour before the assault. The following day, after being read his Miranda rights, Vasquez told investigators he did assault his father "but had blacked out and did not remember pulling the knife on (him)."

Elevating a case to felony court in Wyoming signals that prosecutors believe the charge warrants consequences well beyond what misdemeanor court allows. In Wyoming's court structure, Circuit Court conducts preliminary hearings in felony matters before a case moves to District Court for trial. During his Tuesday initial appearance in Albany County Circuit Court, Vasquez requested a court-appointed attorney. A preliminary hearing is set for March 31, when a judge will determine whether sufficient probable cause exists to bind the case over to District Court.

Bond conditions and whether a no-contact order was entered on behalf of the victim or other family members are among the matters to be resolved at the March 31 hearing. The juvenile daughter's presence throughout the night, including outside the residence when Hiller arrived, raises questions about child-protective services involvement that are expected to surface as the case proceeds.

The SAFE Project provides free and confidential services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking throughout Albany County. Its 24-hour crisis hotline is 307-745-3556; weekday advocates are available at 307-742-7273. The organization is based at 319 S. Lincoln St. in Laramie and can also be reached at safeproject.org.

Court records and hearing dates in the Vasquez case are accessible through Albany County Circuit Court.