Three charged after overdose death of Worland man
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WORLAND – Three Worland men were arraigned Friday in circuit court in Worland after the Washakie County Attorney’s Office filed charges in relation to the overdose death of a Worland man in September 2016.
Joseph Anthony Leyva, charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Robert “Robbie” Kulze, was held on $25,000 cash bond, pending a preliminary hearing March 9. Daniel Lawrence Leyva, charged with accessory after the fact (a misdemeanor) will face a pretrial conference on March 23, and was issued a $3,000 cash bond. Clayton Levi McCreery was charged with felony accessory after the fact, and released on a $3,000 signature bond, with a preliminary hearing scheduled March 6.
According to an affidavit from the county attorney’s office, Kulze was found dead on the floor of his home at 10:45 a.m. on Sept. 3, 2016, by a friend. An autopsy by Dr. Thomas L. Bennett, on behalf of Coroner Jeff Lapp, revealed the cause of death as overdose by heroin.
At the time of death, Kulze’s 4-year-old child was in the guardianship of his parents, while the child’s mother, Brooke Bishop, was incarcerated in the Washakie County Law Enforcement Center on unrelated drug charges.
After an investigation by the Washakie County Sherriff’s Office and Worland Police Department, and interviews with several witnesses, it was determined that Kulze had allegedly gone to the Leyvas’ residence on Sept. 2 to buy heroin from Joseph Leyva. After injecting the drug, Kulze reportedly collapsed and was allegedly left on the floor for several hours, before it was determined he had died.
Allegedly, the Leyvas recruited McCreery to help move Kulze’s body to his residence across the alley, where he was placed on the living room floor in front of the television. Allegedly, Joseph Leyva used Kulze’s cell phone to dial Washakie County Dispatch, before hanging up on the emergency operator. The men then reportedly wiped the scene of their fingerprints and returned to the Leyva’s residence.
Both Leyvas were already in the custody of Washakie County when charges were filed in the death of Kulze, resulting from a month-long investigation by the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office, on charges of conspiring together with intent to deliver a controlled substance, classified as a Schedule 1 drug (heroin).
According to court documents, Joseph Leyva, on or between July 18, 2016, and Dec. 14, 2016, allegedly travelled to Utah several times to purchase heroin for resale in Washakie County. During the county’s investigation, it was discovered that Leyva also allegedly recruited brother Daniel Leyva to help transport and distribute the drug.
After a warrant seizure of Joseph Leyva’s cellular phone records, and witness testimony, it was verified that Leyva had been in contact with Sarasota Springs, Utah, resident Dustin Ray Teeples (previously charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in in May 2016).
Leyva’s phone records indicated several text messages with Teeples, Daniel Leyva, and others regarding the suspected sale of the narcotics, prompting an arrest warrant request from the Washakie County Sherriff’s Office.
