Wyoming woman, 71, sent to prison for lying about gun purchases
A 71-year-old Sheridan, Wyoming, woman was sentenced last week to prison for buying three handguns which she gave to her son, a convicted felon. Her son then used one of the weapons to kill a police officer.
Eileen Marie Hurley was indicted in January by a federal grand jury for her involvement in her son's crimes. According to the indictment, Hurley bought two 9mm pistols and a .22 caliber revolver in May 2022. She filled out a required form during the purchase proclaiming that she was the actual buyer of the weapons. She was charged with four federal counts - one for each gun and the last for the falsely filling out the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) form.
Hurley pleaded guilty in June to two of those counts. Wednesday, a U.S. District Court judge in Cheyenne ordered Hurley to spend one year and one day behind bars followed by another year of probation.
Hurley's son, William Lowery, 46, fatally shot Sheridan Police Department Sgt. Nevada Krinkee on Feb. 13, 2024. Krinkee was serving Lowery with a trespass notice that day outside a rental home from which Lowery had been evicted. The encounter turned physical and Lowery, according to federal prosecutors, pulled a handgun from his waistband and shot Krinkee several times.
Lowery fled to a nearby home and barricaded himself inside. Thirty hours after the standoff began, he was shot by police while attempting to run from the home with a rifle and killed.
Media reports during the standoff showed a police cruiser at Sheridan PD being decorated with flowers as SWAT teams continued to wait out Lowery's surrender.
Federal prosecutors stated one of the pistols purchased by the Hurley was found in the bathroom of the house where he was barricaded. The other two handguns, along with ammunition also purchased in 2022 by Hurley, were found in Lowery's truck.
Later, Hurley told investigators she had no idea where Lowery got the guns, the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming stated in a press release announcing her sentencing. But investigators discovered text messages between she and her son indicating "she was specifically buying the guns for him despite knowing that her son was a violent felon, repeat domestic violence perpetrator, and drug addict."
U.S. Attorney Darin Smith, in that press release, added, "If you buy a gun for a known violent prohibited person and they use that gun to commit a violent crime, you will be prosecuted. Although we cannot prevent all violent crime, this is the first line of defense in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals who are a danger to our communities. We offer our support and condolences to the Krinkee family and the Sheridan Police Department."
Hurley has until Nov. 17 to report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to begin serving her term. Her ultimate destination was not assigned during the sentencing hearing, but the judge strongly recommended Hurley be sent to FMC (Federal Medical Center) Lexington. The facility holds male and female inmates of all security classifications who require medical or mental health care. It also has an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp for female inmates.
