Wife killer gets nearly 30 years

RIVERTON (WNE) — He shot his wife in the head in front of their 10-year-old child last year, and now, Conrad Tillman will spend 348 months in prison after his sentencing hearing last week in federal court.

Tillman, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a plea deal.

He fatally shot his wife, Utahnnaa BearComesOut, on April 14, 2024, as the two were driving on Highway 287 south of Fort Washakie.

U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin sentenced Tillman in Casper Friday for the second-degree murder charge and took into consideration that Tillman had been serving a related tribal sentence for nearly a year.

Upon his release, he’ll face five years supervised release.

According to federal court documents, Tillman told investigators he and the victim had been arguing when he pulled the gun and pointed it at her head. The gun went off, killing BearComesOut.

Tillman flagged down another driver, asking them to “call 911, as he had just shot his wife,” the affidavit states.

Police were called to the scene at 9:21 p.m. BearComesOut was pronounced dead shortly after emergency workers arrived and could not find a pulse, at 9:43 p.m.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Terence Hill searched Tillman and his truck. Inside the truck was a 9mm SCCY-brand pistol with a round in the chamber wedged beside the driver’s seat, a spent bullet casing on the dashboard, and what appeared to be a bullet exit hole in the windshield on the passenger side.

Tillman originally faced life in prison.

This story was published on March 26, 2025.