Riverton man gets 30-40 years for fatally stabbing 14-year-old

A 23-year-old Fremont County man who stabbed a 14-year-old boy to death during a brawl last August was sentenced Monday to between 30 and 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. The sentence reflects a plea agreement Alejandro Behan, who was 22 during the stabbing on Honor Farm Road just north of Riverton, established months prior to his Monday sentencing hearing in Fremont County District Court.

In orange jail scrubs with his face mostly shrouded by his below-shoulder-length hair, Behan sat in the court hearing next to his counsel. He kept his head slightly bowed throughout the hearing and shook his head “no” when the judge gave him the opportunity to speak. Behan had already confessed publicly to the stabbing during a January hearing at which he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. His attorney conveyed Behan’s apologies to the family, friends and community of the victim, 14-year-old Draven Addison, as well as to Behan’s own family and friends.

Court documents describe the fatal altercation as a brawl between people who had been feuding the night of Aug. 22-23 via Snapchat. At his change-of-plea hearing in January, Behan described it this way: “I overheard there was going to be a fight, like around 3 or 4 in the morning.” He heard the other fighters were going to have knives, and he grabbed a steak knife from the home where he’d been. “When I got there, they were fighting, and it looked like it was escalating a little too much to me, and I thought knives were going to be brought back out again. So I stabbed a guy in the back.”

During the fight, Behan “observed what he believed was a knife in Addison’s back pocket,” according to an evidentiary affidavit. Behan told investigators that he “poked” Addison in the back with a knife “to protect his family members.” He then threw the knife in a nearby yard, where it was later found.

“There is no perfect number” for a sentence in this case, but the plea agreement is appropriate, Fremont County District Court Judge Jason Conder said Monday. The evidence doesn’t support first-degree murder, which would have carried a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty. When not restricted by a plea agreement, second-degree murder carries a penalty of between 20 years and life in prison.

“Horrible” circumstances goaded Behan’s childhood, his attorney told the court. Conder acknowledged that Behan had to take care of his younger siblings at the age of 7, and the people who were supposed to be taking care of him were either “drunk or high.” Behan’s grandmother helped him for a while, but then she died. He dropped out of high school to take care of his family and was unable to get a GED during COVID-19.

The judge noted that Behan has voiced an interest in electronics and may be able to become an electrician someday. He voiced a hope that Behan will find ways to grow and improve. “The only thing that could lessen this tragedy is if you went forward and learned something from this, to come out a better person,” Conder said.

Addison’s obituary says he grew up in Casper, attended elementary school there and moved with his family to Riverton in 2022. “He was a sweet and kindhearted young man who loved life, nature, and his family deeply,” the obituary says. “He found joy in the rain, butterflies, and all of God’s creation. Draven will be remembered as a gentle, loving, and joyful young man who brought light to all who knew him.” Behan received 222 days’ credit for time served in jail during his prosecution. Neither Behan’s family nor Addison’s appeared in court Monday. “As I look out on a near-empty courtroom, I’m speechless,” the judge said. The only people in the courtroom besides Behan were state personnel, security and a reporter.