Cameron Boni

Nearly a year after he granted a Cody man an early release from prison, a judge reversed course and sent the man back into the state’s custody.

Cameron Boni, 52, had agreed to serve a nine- to 10-year prison sentence for causing a high-speed, multi-vehicle crash in Powell in May 2023. However, Boni later sought a sentence reduction anyway, and District Judge Bill Simpson agreed to suspend the remainder of Boni’s prison term in favor of probation last August; the judge’s decision came in response to concerns about Boni’s mental and physical health deteriorating in custody.

The Park County Attorney’s Office had strenuously opposed a reduction, arguing Simpson was bound by the plea deal once he accepted it. In a rare move, the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office challenged Simpson’s decision, and the Wyoming Supreme Court agreed to review it. 

In late May, the high court agreed with prosecutors, ruling that Simpson lacked the authority to revise the deal that he’d approved in 2024.

In response to the high court’s ruling, Simpson held a brief Friday hearing at which he reimposed the nine- to 10-year prison sentence on two felony counts of aggravated assault and battery.

“Mr. Boni, that’s all I can do today,” Simpson said.

Boni had been out of custody since August with no apparent issues and reported to the courthouse when requested.

The background

From the start, the case has been dogged by concerns about Boni’s mental health. Court records and testimony indicate he’d been suffering from delusions and paranoia when he raced into Powell at 143 mph and hit four vehicles on Coulter Avenue. No significant injuries were reported.

Even at his sentencing in 2024, Boni continued to assert that he was innocent, telling the court his Jetta had somehow been taken out of his control.

“I had no intention of hurting anybody or getting in an accident,” he said. “There was something that happened that I can’t explain, and I'm very sorry that it ended up like this.”

A state psychologist found that Boni’s perception of reality was impaired to the point that he was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of what he’d done. However, then-Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Jack Hatfield contended that Boni was a “habitual criminal” given a pair of prior felonies and had threatened to pursue up to 110 years of prison time before offering the deal.

Court conflict

Simpson’s decision to void the stipulated prison term appeared to contribute to conflict between him and Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Eichele, who took over Boni’s case. That included an exchange at an unrelated June 8 sentencing hearing for a woman who stole funds from a Cody business. 

During the proceedings, Simpson described the woman as a good person who’d made a mistake. 

“And there isn’t anybody in this room — although there’s some people who think they’re beyond that, you know, they don’t make mistakes, they correct others who allegedly make mistakes, but they don’t make mistakes,” Simpson said. “Those are the people who are really a mistake in my book.”

The judge added that “we’re all flawed creatures” and that all we can do is apologize for what we’ve done and move on. He said the defendant had done that.

Eichele then spoke up to ask if the judge’s comment was directed at him. Simpson answered that it was not, “and I don’t know why you would even think that,” he said.

Eichele then asked the judge to clarify who’d he’d been referring to, “because you said, ‘in this room there are people.’”

Simpson responded that he was simply making a general comment.

“Would you please calm down and relax?” he told Eichele. “I don’t know why you’re so sensitive.”

Later in that hearing, Simpson mentioned that, under terms of the woman’s plea agreement, she would not be able to seek a dismissal of her felony conviction, but could seek to have her term of probation shortened; Eichele said he’d purposely left the door open for a sentence reduction.

“That’s an important distinction, and I’ve made that mistake before; I don’t want to make it again,” Simpson said. “So, when I talk about people making mistakes, I’ve made plenty of them.”

He added that he’s learned from the Supreme Court’s reversal.

Back in custody

Friday’s hearing for Boni was brief, with Simpson going through a few routine questions before reimposing the sentence.

“Do you suffer from any mental illness, at this time, that would impair or hinder your ability to understand or participate in these proceedings and communicate with the court?” the judge asked.

“No, sir,” Boni responded.

He had served 814 days of his sentence — well over two years — at the time he was booked into the Park County Detention Center on Friday.

Boni’s defense attorney, Tim Blatt, has indicated he may pursue other avenues for a sentence reduction through the Wyoming Department of Corrections. During oral arguments before the Supreme Court this spring, he mentioned the potential of seeking a medical parole or a compassionate release.