Adam Shane Aviles, Jr., a 26-year-old from Cody, Wyoming, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson delivered the sentence after determining that the ammunition in Aviles’ possession was connected to the voluntary manslaughter of his girlfriend, Katheryn Ferguson. Ferguson disappeared in October 2023 while traveling with Aviles and their two children from Alabama to Wyoming and is presumed dead.
Aviles was arrested in November 2023 when investigators from the Park County Sheriff’s Office found bullet holes, a loaded .45 caliber magazine, ammunition, and blood-stained items inside his vehicle. As a convicted felon, Aviles is prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023 and pleaded guilty in June 2024.
Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann acknowledged the cooperation between local, state, and federal authorities in the case. He expressed hope that the sentence provides some level of justice for Ferguson’s family. The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program focused on reducing violent crime and gun violence.
