CASPER, WY – A young man from Casper was sentenced Thursday to eight to 10 years in prison after being convicted of stabbing a former friend and romantic rival in an orchestrated ambush at his home last March.

Evan Jason Kirkendall, 20, appeared before Natrona County District Judge Catherine Wilking, who handed down the sentence as family members of the 17-year-old victim looked on. Kirkendall had previously pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and battery without a plea agreement, leaving his fate to the judge’s decision.

The attack occurred on the evening of March 21, when authorities received a 911 call from a juvenile reporting that his friend had been stabbed at Kirkendall’s residence on North Park Street. While emergency responders were en route, Kirkendall himself called 911 and admitted to stabbing someone inside his home, alleging the victim had attempted to assault him.

Court documents revealed tension between Kirkendall and the victim earlier that day, fueled by heated arguments over the phone. At the heart of the dispute was a shared connection: the victim’s girlfriend had previously dated Kirkendall. During the confrontation, Kirkendall reportedly taunted the victim and challenged him to come to his house, escalating the conflict.

Surveillance video from the home, later presented in court, captured the critical moments leading up to the attack. The footage showed Kirkendall holding a knife as he called the teen into his home. Within moments of the victim entering, the pair spilled onto the front porch, struggling, with Kirkendall stabbing the victim multiple times in the torso.

Kirkendall consistently claimed he acted in self-defense, telling police the other teen initiated physical violence after entering the residence. However, prosecutors countered that the evidence demonstrated Kirkendall had deliberately lured the victim with the intention of attacking him, pointing to the readiness of the weapon and statements made after the incident. Prosecutors also highlighted reports that Kirkendall was overheard bragging about how he had successfully drawn the victim into his trap.

At the sentencing, the victim’s mother described the harrowing experience of nearly losing her son, emphasizing that Kirkendall and her son had once been friends before their falling out. She recounted the trauma of waiting in the hospital, unsure if her son would survive the wounds inflicted in the confrontation.

When given the chance to address the court, Kirkendall apologized directly to the victim’s family, expressing remorse for his actions. He acknowledged the pain he had caused and referenced personal struggles, including recent trauma from a separate home invasion, as contributing factors to his state of mind during the attack.

The court credited Kirkendall with 209 days already served in jail. His sentence means he could remain incarcerated until his early thirties.

The case drew attention for the role of surveillance video and digital evidence in reconstructing the sequence of events, illustrating how quickly a personal conflict escalated into violence with lasting consequences for everyone involved. The victim survived the assault but faces a long road to recovery.