After a transgender woman drew a gun on a man in what she called an act of self-defense, information came to light about the man’s past in Colorado, including that he once allegedly belonged to Patriot Front, a white supremacist group.
To support her defense against charges resulting from the altercation, the woman’s attorney wants to look deeper into the man’s past. The state is trying to quash that effort.
Ríhanna Kelver, a vocal trans rights activist, is facing felony charges for aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon following the incident in downtown Laramie. Her case has drawn national attention, with media and other observers asking why a trans woman faces criminal charges for her actions in a state with a stand your ground law.
Kelver’s attorney, Andrew Holcomb, attempted to have those charges dismissed on self-defense claims. But Albany County District Judge Misha Westby ruled that she wasn’t immune from prosecution. While Kelver can still raise a self-defense argument at trial, the burden of proof will be higher.
In court filings, Holcomb has noted that Scott Durham, the man who pushed Kelver to the ground before she drew a gun on him, was allegedly “previously the subject of disciplinary proceedings at the University of Colorado Boulder,” which culminated in his departure from the school.
Holcomb’s filings cite articles from the Laramie Reporter and CU Independent, which reported that Durham was once a member of Patriot Front and has a history of posting online content targeting minorities. A Colorado police report included in the court record also recounts a student calling police because he was “in fear” of Durham, who was “an active known racist throughout the campus.”
Last month, Holcomb filed a request in Albany County District Court to subpoena University of Colorado Boulder. The proposed subpoena asks the university to provide any disciplinary records concerning Durham, including records of his social media activity. Holcomb asked that those records be handed over to the court for an “in camera inspection” — a process in which a judge privately inspects records to decide if they can be released.
Holcomb stated that these records are relevant to issues he expects will come up at trial, such as the “credibility of the complaining witness,” “potential bias or motive” and “prior conduct” relevant to Kelver’s asserted defenses.
While the Wyoming Rules of Evidence usually bar evidence that attacks the character of a witness, “a criminal defendant is allowed to introduce evidence of a pertinent character trait possessed by the alleged victim for the purpose of establishing that the alleged victim was the initial aggressor, an essential component of a self-defense claim that arises within a public space,” Holcomb wrote.
Last week, Albany County Attorney Kurt Britzius, who is representing the state of Wyoming, asked the court to quash the request, writing that the state has “a legitimate interest in protecting witnesses from undue harassment and from Defendant prying into a witness’ educational/disciplinary file merely for a fishing expedition.”
Britzius also argued that the records aren’t relevant to Kelver’s case. “The State does not believe it is contested that, at the time of the incident, neither Defendant nor Mr. Durham knew each other,” he wrote. “It was only after the fact that these individuals learned of each other’s identity. Thus, nothing in Mr. Durham’s past, including the requested disciplinary records, is relevant in the current case.”
The September 2025 incident in downtown Laramie started with a verbal exchange between Kelver and Durham, although accounts differ as to what exactly was said.
According to Kelver, Durham allegedly taunted her as she sat in front of the Crowbar & Grill before a late-night shift, yelling that “the [Crowbar] should be closing you bunch of fags.” Kelver asked him, “What the fuck did you say?” Kelver also recounted that Durham allegedly told her: “I’ll fuck you up, faggot,” and “I’ll fucking kill you, you fucking faggot.” Meanwhile, Durham told police that he had yelled “‘fuck the Crowbar’ because he likes the Buckhorn Bar better,” without using any slurs, according to a Laramie police affidavit.
Court filings and video recount what happened next. Kelver walked toward Durham and the two individuals he was with, meeting them in the crosswalk at the intersection of 2nd Street and Ivinson Avenue. As she approached them, Kelver had her right hand on her hip where she wore a satchel that carried her gun. When she neared, Durham pushed Kelver, causing her to fall. When she hit the pavement, she pulled the pistol out of her bag, racked the slide and pointed it at Durham. Kelver lowered the firearm and stood when Durham was past her.
Westby will decide whether to grant Holcomb’s request to probe Durham’s past.
