Rawlins man charged with attempted murder

A 73-year-old Rawlins man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges following an incident on United States Highway 287 earlier this month.

Melvin Leon Bagley has been charged with two counts of attempted second degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault and battery, reckless driving and reckless endangerment according to court documents. In an affidavit of probable cause filed in Carbon County Circuit Court, the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) was dispatched to Mile Marker 22 on US 287 for a report of a man with a gun, later identified as Bagley. It had been reported that two people were shot and being chased by the suspect and that the suspect was ramming the victim’s truck with his own as they tried to get away.

The trooper with the WHP found the victim’s vehicle at Mile Marker 14 and observed “a heavy amount of damage” on the driver’s side. The trooper then found Bagley’s vehicle approximately two miles later at Mile Marker 16. According to court documents, Bagley claimed the victims—later identified as his nephew and his nephew’s wife—had been stealing money out of his bank account and had told them to stop.

The trooper later interviewed the victims, who claimed Bagley had dementia and had been relocated to Bairoil to live with them and had agreed to give the victims power of attorney over his finances. In April or May 2023, they told the trooper Bagley began accusing them of stealing money from his account. He also wanted to move from Bairoil to Rawlins, which occurred in June 2023. Following the move, the victims said they had little contact with Bagley.

The charges of attempted second degree murder come with a penalty of 20 years to life in prison. Bagley is innocent until proven guilty.