By The Gillette News Record

Via Wyoming News Exchange

GILLETTE — A 27-year-old Gillette man has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly injecting his girlfriend with heroin, causing her overdose death three months ago.

Jacob G. “Walley” Wallentine also is charged with disposing of a dead human body to conceal a felony after then putting the body of Tamlyn Delgado, 27, into her car and driving it from his home to the Eagle’s Nest Apartments and leaving it there.

Wallentine also is charged with delivery of a controlled substance for giving the heroin to Delgado.

The state Division of Criminal Investigations handled the case after Gillette Police found Delgado’s body in the driver’s seat of her 2002 Buick SUV with a tourniquet around her right arm, a puncture mark on her right arm and a syringe on her lap.

An autopsy showed cause of death to be “methamphetamine and morphine recreation drug overdose,” according to court records.

Using a number of confidential sources, DCI agents and Campbell County Sheriff’s Office investigators pieced together a series of events in which Wallentine at one point bragged to one of the sources that he had some really good heroin — so good, according to the affidavit of probable cause, “that a girl he hangs around with and uses heroin with had passed out and not awoke since the previous night.”

The source was concerned because that had been 24 hours before and she was still not awake.

Wallentine said he had to go home and check on her. He texted the source 30 to 60 minutes later and the source went to Wallentine’s house on Mecent Avenue, where Wallentine showed him about 1 gram of black tar heroin.

According to the source, Wallentine asked him if he wanted to see the girl, and they went into the bedroom where they found Delgado on the bed.

The source “could tell Delgado was not okay just by looking at her,” according to the affidavit. She was limp and didn’t respond to Wallentine trying to shake her and move her.

The source said Wallentine tried to call people to find Narcan to reverse the overdose, but said he could not call 911.

That source, Wallentine and another confidential source at the house tried CPR, and although they felt a faint pulse, decided to try other methods to revive her, including a cold bath. The source noticed that “Delgado’s pupils were not dilating, the white of Delgado’s eyes were turning yellow and Delgado’s lips were turning blue,” according to the affidavit.

The source also suggested injecting her with meth to counteract the heroin, but couldn’t find a vein to inject it, according to the affidavit.

While she was in the bathtub, Wallentine worried about getting her car fixed so that it could be moved from his driveway, according to the affidavit. Two of the confidential sources were tasked with finding jumper cables and getting the car going and moving it and Wallentine’s Ford Explorer to the back of the home.

When Wallentine and the three others finally believed Delgado no longer had a pulse, they held hands and said a prayer, according to the affidavit.

Wallentine and one of sources talked about getting Delgado into her car and taking her somewhere out on a county road, but decided to leave her in her car at the Eagle’s Nest Apartments. He dressed her, carried her outside and set her in the driver’s seat of her car, according to the affidavit.

He then sat on top of her and drove the car to the Eagle’s Nest, where he left her, according to the affidavit. Her body was found Oct. 3.

The source told investigators that, “Wallentine’s intention was to make the situation appear like a suicide,” according to the affidavit.

“Wallentine wanted it to look as if nothing happened at Wallentine’s residence,” and he even sprayed disinfectant in the home and bathroom to remove evidence that Delgado had been there, the affidavit said.

Wallentine told another source that he and Delgado has split about 0.1 of a gram of heroin and that each had about the same amount. That source urged Wallentine to call an ambulance, but he refused several times.

“Wallentine claimed he couldn’t call an ambulance because Wallentine would get life in prison if the cops were called,” according to the affidavit.

Wallentine posted an item on Facebook Messenger on Oct. 4: “To everybody who finds true love, charish it cuz I found mine and didn’t wanna let her go but as I stared into her eyes and seen the last twinkle of life leave her body I knew I was to late and that I’m never going to have the memories of her like I wanted….”

“I’ve been denied the chance to grow old with her because of addiction I feel like if I had to spend the rest of my life in prison and could only see her once every 6 years through glass would be better than this but we don’t get to make those choices. …”

Wallentine was already in jail on other drug charges. His bond on the latest three felonies is $500,000 cash only.

Manslaughter and delivery have penalties of up to 20 years, and disposing of a dead human body has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.