A Lincoln County jury fully exonerated a Star Valley Ranch man of all charges following a six day trial in Lincoln County District Court. Jared Erickson had been charged with manslaughter in connection to the death of his wife, Tenille Erickson, which occurred in November of 2024. The unanimous ruling by the jury, which was reached after nearly six hours of deliberation, was read on Tuesday, May 26.

“We appreciate the jury’s hard work on the difficult case,” state Erickson’s defense attorneys to the media following the verdict. “It’s hard to know what resonated most, but we hope they sensed that we presented our case with honesty and integrity. This case has taken an emotional toll on all involved, and we hope the families and community can begin to heal.” Erickson was represented by Tom Fleener and Devon Peterson from Fleener Petersen Law in Laramie.

The case was prosecuted by Natrona County Assistant District Attorney Blaine Nelson on behalf of the state. The Lincoln County Attorney’s Office was not involved in the prosecution due to conflicts on both sides. No comment has been received by the Natrona County prosecution following the ruling or before the case began.

The trial began on Monday, May 18 and stemmed from an argument between Jared and Tennille Erickson at their Star Valley Ranch home. According to court documents filed in the case, Jared Erickson called 911 on Nov. 17, 2024 and reported finding his wife unresponsive in a bedroom with blood and vomit on the bed. Investigators later alleged Tennille Erickson spent much of the following day secluded in the room after the couple argued the night before while drinking.

Court records said Tennille sent her husband a photo showing bruising and swelling on her face along with a text asking whether she should “send these around.”

Prosecutors also pointed to messages Tennille allegedly sent to a friend claiming her husband had beaten her. Responding deputies and medical personnel observed bruising on Tennille Erickson’s forehead, eye and torso when they arrived at the home. Prosecutors later argued those injuries were consistent with blunt-force trauma and not an accidental fall, according to the affidavit.

Defense attorneys, however, maintained Tennille Erickson struggled with alcoholism and health issues, and argued her injuries could have resulted from falls or other non-criminal causes.

A member of the jury spoke with SVI Media shortly after the verdict was reached, calling the decision an extremely difficult one but one they felt they had no choice but to make because the prosecution did not prove that Erickson was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

“We believed the defendant likely did something wrong during the altercation. But the medical testimony left significant questions about causation because the victim’s health was already in an extremely fragile condition and the testimony of the pathologist left some questions as to how and when the actual injury that caused her death took place,” stated the jury member. “The prosecution left the jury in an extremely difficult position because there was one key piece of evidence that the state mentioned but then kind of pushed off to the side with no additional investigation.  Because of this we felt like the prosecution left the door open to some uncertainty and speculation on the actual event that caused the victim’s death.”

The jury member explained further that the “one key piece of evidence” was a type of fibrous blood vessel located in Tenille’s subdural hematoma and could have occurred anywhere from 2 to 15 days after the injury occurred. Meaning that there is a medical chance that the injury that caused her death occurred prior to the altercation with Jared on November 17. According to the jury member, the prosecution did not answer as to why this type of injury was found.

“Our instructions were very clear from Judge Bluemel,” continued the jury member. “The instruction that weighed most heavily on us as a jury said the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the charge.  If there is any doubt or uncertainty whether or not the state met this burden of proof, then the jury must give the defendant the benefit of that doubt and return a verdict of not guilty.    Jurors are not supposed to convict because they think someone “probably” did something wrong. The legal standard is much higher.  The state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant’s conduct was the legal cause of death, which is why the verdict of Not Guilty was rendered.”

According to the jury member the case was extremely difficult, calling it a “horrible burden and experience as a juror.”

Jared Erickson was arrested on manslaughter charges on May 27, 2025 following a six month investigation into Tenille’s death. The acquittal means Erickson will not face criminal punishment in connection with the case.