The criminal cases against a former Wyoming journalist accused of perjury and forging documents should be suspended while she undergoes a mental evaluation, her attorney wrote in new court filings.
The attorney asked a judge in Platte County to order that April Marie Morganroth undergo an outpatient evaluation by the Wyoming State Hospital’s Criminal Justice Service.
“There is reasonable cause to believe that [Morganroth] has a mental illness or deficiency, and it is necessary that an examination of Defendant’s mental condition be performed” to determine her fitness to proceed with the criminal case against her, wrote Assistant Public Defender Denny Harts in a motion filed Monday.
Platte County prosecutors this spring filed 20 charges against Morganroth in two cases. The first involves allegations that Morganroth, who went by the name Marie Hamilton in Wyoming, forged documents and lied under oath while fighting a proposed Chugwater area wind farm.
In the second case, prosecutors allege that Morganroth forged documents as part of a homebuying scheme. Those documents falsely indicated she had received a loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a Chugwater home that she rented for a time, court filings show.
The 41-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Neither Harts nor the county prosecutor returned messages left Tuesday seeking comment. Morganroth, who is free on bond, declined comment when approached by a WyoFile reporter at an April hearing.
Morganroth worked as a journalist in multiple states including Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. The Denver Post reported she was fired by the Boulder Daily Camera in 2021 after editors there acknowledged in a lengthy retraction that she fabricated multiple quotes in a story about local residents reflecting on the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks.
She later moved to Wyoming and worked as a reporter, under the Marie Hamilton name, for the Platte County Record-Times, the Guernsey Gazette, the Torrington Telegram and the Newcastle News Letter Journal. Morganroth later launched her own publication, 307 Wyoming Sentinel, and also freelanced for Oil City News.
Her bio on 307 Wyoming Sentinel claimed she was pursuing a “Juris Doctorate” in media law at the University of Wyoming, even though the school doesn’t offer one. She also claimed she had 26 years in the journalism industry, which would have meant her career started around the age of 15.
In his request for a mental evaluation for Morganroth, Harts cited a Wyoming law that requires legal proceedings to be halted if there is reasonable cause to believe a defendant has a mental illness or deficiency that makes him or her unfit to proceed. The public defender did not offer details about what prompted him to believe such an evaluation was needed for his client.
After the evaluation is performed, the examiners are tasked by state law with providing a report to the court related to the defendant’s competency. The judge then holds a hearing to determine whether the accused person is mentally fit to proceed, though the prosecution and defense sometimes stipulate to someone’s fitness.
Harts, in his motion, asked for the report within 60 days of the judge’s order.
In addition to the Platte County charges, Morganroth also faces a criminal case in Laramie County alleging she forged documents to enroll her child in a school district there and obtain special education services. Investigators say she submitted a letter from a doctor who told them he didn’t write the document.
Although a Laramie County Circuit Court judge issued a warrant for Morganroth’s arrest in late April, she has yet to make a court appearance in connection with that felony charge.
Writer CJ Baker contributed to this story.
