Jacob Nathaniel Hopkins Trigg, Carjacking, Wyoming 2020

A violent carjacking in southwest Cheyenne left a resident shaken, but thanks to the diligent work of law enforcement, the perpetrators have been brought to justice.

On April 21, 2020, Jacob Nathaniel Hopkins Trigg, 19, of Colorado, and Oscar Alfredo Ortiz, 20, of Cheyenne, WY, were convicted and sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Nancy Freudenthal related to their involvement in a violent carjacking of a Cheyenne resident.

According to the prosecution, Trigg and Ortiz encountered the victim while driving in southwest Cheyenne. After the victim stopped to offer assistance, Ortiz brandished a rifle and demanded the victim turn over control of the vehicle. Trigg pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded he empty his pockets. Ortiz and Trigg then ordered the victim out at gun point and fled in the vehicle.

The next day, the vehicle was located in Longmont, Colorado. Witnesses and video cameras captured the defendants and a female dump the vehicle and cover it with a tarp. Meanwhile, officers in Longmont were tracking the duo on social media and found several posts related to the crime spree that also included a high-speed chase on I-70 near Evergreen, Colorado. The Colorado State Patrol ultimately disengaged from pursuing the vehicle after speeds reached in excess of 96 mph in a heavy traffic area.

The FBI arrested Ortiz and Trigg following a search warrant of Ortiz’s residence in Cheyenne where the firearms were located. Both firearm purchases were tracked back to the defendants.

Trigg was sentenced to nine years with five years supervised release. Ortiz was sentenced to 15 years with five years of supervised release. They were each ordered to pay $5,089 in restitution and $200 in special assessment fees.

‘I want to send a clear message to would-be carjackers: Committing a senseless act of violence like carjacking will earn you a home in federal prison for a long time,’ said Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray. ‘This office and our law enforcement partners will always fight for crime victims and do our job to hold accountable violent criminals.’

The case was investigated by the Cheyenne Police Department, F.B.I., the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and Longmont Police Department in Colorado. The charges were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy J. Forwood.

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