Trial of Ed Cantrell
| Wyoming v. Cantrell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | Sweetwater County District Court |
| Full case name | State of Wyoming v. Edward Lee Cantrell |
| Decided | November 30, 1979 |
| Verdict | Not guilty |
| Charge | First-degree murder |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | Kenneth Hamm |
State of Wyoming v. Ed Cantrell (officially the State of Wyoming v. Edward Lee Cantrell) was a state trial of Wyoming police officer Ed Cantrell for the killing of Michael Angel Rosa, an undercover narcotics agent in Rock Springs, Wyoming.[1]
After only three hours of deliberations, the jury accepted Cantrell's self-defense argument, and acquitted him of first-degree murder.[2]
Famed lawyer Gerry Spence won the acquittal of Cantrell in what was deemed a "seemingly impossible case".[1]
Background
[edit]Outside a saloon in Rock Springs, in an unmarked police vehicle, Ed Cantrell shot Michael A. Rosa out of the belief that he was unstable and going for his gun to shoot, with two other officers present in the car during the shooting, those being officers Matt Bider and James Callas.[3]
Cantrell's friends posted his bail of $250,000.[4]
Despite the murder ocurring in Rock Springs, the defense requested a change of venue, which was accepted and granted to Pinedale, Wyoming, with judge Kenneth Hamm kept as the presiding judge.[5] The prosecutors were from Sweetwater County, those being Robert Pickett and Jack Smith.[2]
Legacy
[edit]The killing of Michael Rosa and the following trial of Ed Cantrell has left a legacy in Rock Springs. It was listed in the book Great American Trials by journalist Edward W. Knappman.[6]
The Last Western: The Unjustified Killing of Michael Rosa by Ed Cantrell by Rone Tempest covers the infamous case.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ivins, Molly (1979-12-01). "Wyoming Jury Frees Law Official in Killing Knight of Old West Presented". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ a b Brinkley-Rogers, Paul (1979-11-30). "Wyoming Jury Acquits City Sheriff On First-Degree Murder Charge". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Ex‐Lawman Facing Murder Trial". The New York Times. 1979-02-09. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Krza, Paul (2020-07-28). "Ed Cantrell, Rock Springs and Boom-time Crime". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ "Cantrell trial rescheduled". The Branding Iron. 1979-09-06. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ Knappman, Edward W. (2002). Great American Trials: 1950-2001. Gale Group. pp. 1023–1026. ISBN 978-0787656430.
- ^ Beck, Bob (2021-01-15). "Famous Rock Springs Killing Is Reexamined In A New Book". Wyoming Public Media. Retrieved 2024-10-08.