A Wyoming man, aged 20, faces up to ten years in prison after orchestrating a violent ambush against a 17-year-old rival, whom he once considered a friend. The attack involved multiple stab wounds to the victim’s torso.

Judge Catherine Wilking of Natrona County handed down the sentence to Evan Jason Kirkendall on Thursday, condemning him to an eight to ten-year term in a state correctional facility for his vicious assault.

Last October, Kirkendall entered a cold plea to a charge of aggravated assault and battery. A cold plea indicates that Kirkendall did not negotiate any agreement with prosecutors, leaving the sentencing up to the judge’s sole discretion.

The court has accounted for 209 days that Kirkendall has already spent in custody.

As detailed in court documents sourced by the Cowboy State Daily, a juvenile dialed 911 shortly after 7 p.m. on March 21, 2025, reporting a stabbing incident at Kirkendall’s residence on North Park Street. The caller mentioned that the injured party was being transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical care.

Kirkendall also called 911, telling the emergency dispatcher that he had stabbed someone inside his home, claiming that the victim “tried beating my a—.”

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders spoke to Kirkendall, who reportedly reinforced his self-defense claim by saying that he only stabbed the victim after the victim had entered his home.

Investigators learned that Kirkendall and the victim argued on the phone earlier that day, and Kirkendall repeatedly insulted the victim’s girlfriend, who had previously dated Kirkendall. At some point during the conversation, Kirkendall told the victim to find him at his home, saying, “come do something about it.”

Surveillance footage from Kirkendall’s home, which police obtained, was played during the sentencing hearing and showed the vicious attack, Oil City News reported.

The footage reportedly showed that Kirkendall was already holding the knife as he goaded the victim into entering his home, telling him to “come inside, yo.”

“Two seconds later [the victim] and [Kirkendall] spill out the front door, struggling against each other,” the affidavit states. “[Kirkendall was] holding onto [the victim’s jacket] with his left hand and thrust with his right hand into [the victim’s] torso twice.”

Kirkendall said the stabbing was the victim’s “f—ing fault” during an interview with detectives, per Cowboy State Daily.

“They went to my f—ing house, yo. How the f— is it my fault? Just doesn’t make sense, yo,” Kirkendall said, according to a probable cause affidavit. “They came to my house, he walked into my door, he tried to beat my a—. So, it’s self-defense yo.”

Prosecutors reportedly argued that the videos showed Kirkendall’s plan was to “lure” the victim into the house and stab him.

“The folding knife was already deployed and ready when the victim was baited inside,” Natrona County Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson reportedly said during the hearing. “This was not an accident, this was not self-defense. He solicited this fight.”

The prosecutor also said that, following his arrest, Kirkendall was heard “bragging how he lured [the victim] over” to be attacked.

During Thursday’s hearing, the victim’s mother addressed the court, explaining that her son and Kirkendall used to be friends but had drifted apart. She also emphasized that the family’s time in the hospital was particularly traumatic as she was unsure if her son was going to survive.

“Is my child going to die?” she remembered thinking. “That’s never an option a parent should have to consider.”

Given the opportunity to address the court, Kirkendall apologized for his actions, claiming he was suffering from PTSD at the time of the attack because a few weeks earlier, three people had broken into his home and beat him up while he slept, Cowboy State Daily reported.

“I am sorry for the pain I have caused you,” he reportedly said, speaking directly to the victim’s mother. “I understand I have to hold myself accountable and I am extremely ashamed of what I have done and my actions.”