Man pleads guilty to attempted murder

A man pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the first degree Tuesday in Fremont County in a plot that targeted a woman’s stepfather.

Jermain Wiley, 21, of Bakersfield, Calif., shot Eric Norlen, of Driggs, in the shoulder and in the back of his head in April.

Prosecutor Karl Lewies said Wiley pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal that has been in the works for the past eight months. As part of the deal, the charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree were dropped.

The plea agreement was nonbinding, which means the judge was not bound by either attorney’s sentencing recommendations.

Wiley’s co-defendant, Jessica Brown, of Rexburg, provided him with ammunition, transportation and a hotel room. Brown, who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting attempted murder in July, had said Wiley was only supposed to intimidate Norlen over a child custody dispute involving her 2-year-old daughter.

In court Tuesday, Wiley told the judge he intended to kill Norlen.

Wiley and Brown are both scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 27. Attempted murder in the first degree carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.