Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 14

A14 Casper Star-Tnbune PAGE ONE EXTRA Thursday, January 25, 2007 Killer fails to frame daughter, lover For more Jury convicts man of murder A1 make sure that nothing is done now to mar the legal process, the judge explained. "We nave an obligation here to preserve the rights of the defendant and preserve the record and at least help the process of healing," the judge said Wednesday. "Do we want sentencing this morning because we want justice or vengeance?" she added. "My job is to ensure that we are here for justice." Haylee, her mother's parents, and her mother's two sisters sat quietly in the front row of the courtroom Wednesday, a contrast to the emotional outbursts after the verdict was announced the night before. The family indicated they would speak at Reay's sentencing.

They would not speak with reporters Wednesday, but issued a written statement. "Justice was finally served and that all the lies can stop," the statement said. "Tami was a wonderful person with such a zest for life. Unfortunately, she was not given an opportunity to make a better life for herself and Haylee." Reay did the rare thing for a murder defendant: He took the witness stand. He told how he met his wife, in a bar, in Billings.

Reay said he'd been married earlier and has a son, now 24, from that union. He told jurors that he had worked long hours in Billings for years as an assistant manager in a grocery store. The family moved to Pierre in 2004 so Reay could take a job as an assistant manager at Wal-Mart. Long hours at both jobs, including the more than 100 hours a week Reay said he was working at Wal-Mart, took a toll on nis marriage, he said. Reay said he did not know his wife was having an affair until after he was jailed and investigative reports were provided to his attorney.

Reay said he was devastated when his wife asked for a divorce, but he said it was his fault for being a workaholic. "I just drove her away," he said. "She said she needed to be free." Barnett said it was a mistake for Reay to take the stand. The prosecutor grilled the man for several hours on Monday and Tuesday. "He was one of the best witnesses I had," Barnett said after the verdict.

"His testimony hurt him a bunch. He changed his answers constantly, and his story moved around constantly." Ironically, jurors were told during the trial, Tami Reay's body was found at the same spot where she'd gone pn at least two occasions to have sex with Clark. TRANSFORM Continued from A1 condition that is similar to severe arthr itis, without the pain. It contorts limbs and limits movement, and in Creger's case, forces him to use a wheelchair and rely on the help of others for tasks such as Retting dressed or eating. He's had the condition since birth.

Prior to the job, Creger was self conscious about his condition and not very receptive to meeting new people, said his father, John Creger. "He always felt that people looked at him and stared at him," John Creger said. "That used to bother him. Since they transferred him to the Trails Center four years ago, he's a new guy." Creger, for his part, doesn't think the change in his personality is connected to his arthrogryposis. Getting comfortable in social situations is a natural byproduct of his occupation.

"Just meeting people made it easier," he said. Whatever its cause, the transformation is apparent to co-workers. Jude Carino, Creger's old friend and director of the center, said the change was obvious last October when the two took a road trip to Las Vegas. Creger, it turns out, was the one striking up conversations in the casinos and on the Strip. "Dan was the one, and I'm a very outgoing person he was the one that talked to people," Carino recalled.

"He wouldn't have done that 15 years ago. He is much more outgoing." That outgoing personality is evident when Creger guides visitors around the center. On Wednesday, he casually chatted with a group of schoolchildren about Independence Rock. He asked questions and told stories about pioneers carving their names onto the famous Oregon Trail landmark in front of a wall covered with replicas of the names. "I like to see the look on the kids' faces when they learn new things," he said earlier.

The Bureau of Land Management, which staffs the trails center, has taken notice of Creger's enthusiasm and dedication. On Wednesday the BLM presented Creger with its Honor Award for Superior Service. The national award is given for long-term employee excellence. "He always has a smile. He always has good things to say about people," Carino said.

"And he doesn't complain. I know it sounds cliched, (but) it's real." Creger has been working at the BLM since 1984, when he got a job at its Cheyenne office. Two years later, he transferred to Casper, where he performed tasks like data entry. About four years ago, the center was short staffed and needed help. Creger didn't have experience with that kind of work, but figured, why not? "I just learned it on the job," he said.

Creger enjoys working for the BLM and said his co-workers are like a second family to him. "They treat me like one of the guys," he said. But for all the successes he's had, there are also new obstacles in Creger's life. This summer, he began suffering from acid reflux and chest pain. His doctor suspected it might be an ulcer.

Instead, it turned out to be cancer in his esophagus. The cancer has spread to his lymph nodes. Creger said he doesn't know his prognosis. "I've had three different doctors tell me three different things," he said. At first, Creger felt a mix of sadness and anger.

Then he decided the cancer was another challenge for him to deal with. "I've tried to go on with my life and take it day by day," he said. After the diagnosis, Creger moved back home with his parents, who also live in Casper. Every morning, they spend an hour helping him get ready for work. Creger is grateful for his family's support.

"I've got the best family a guy could have," he said. Creger doesn't let his disability detract from his attitude, according to his mom, Carolyn. "He is just a wonderful young man and we are proud of him for working for all these years," she said. Creger has made a point of living as independently as possible. For most of his education, he attended regular schools.

He's tried to avoid living with his parents, and doesn't rely on government assistance to pay for caregivers. "I couldn't see sitting at the house, doing nothing," he said. "I'd rather make my own way." Outside of work, Creger likes to listen to rock music and play bingo. He's also a serious Green Bay Packers fan, and keeps a team backpack on his wheelchair and pictures of his visit to Lambeau Field on his desk at work. As for his future, Creger said he feels great and is eating what he wants.

He's on a seven-week break from radiation treatment and plans to work as long as he can. "I'm just a regular guy that is trying to live my life the best I can," he said. "I'm a good person. I don't want people to feel sorry for me. I'll just do what I've always done." Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson casperstartribune.net.

growths of muscle fibers Blocking a fibroid's blood supply Uterine artery embolization is a procedure that treats fibroids, noncancerous growths in the uterus. It works by blocking the arteries that supply blood to fibroids, causing them to shrink. be that his daughter was angry and depressed after learning her parents might divorce, and that the girl, Haylee, murdered her mother in the middle of the night. The woman did not share a bedroom with her husband because he has restless legs syndrome, and it disturbed her sleep. Reay would testify at his trial that he awoke to find Haylee, clutching a bloody knife, standing at her mother's bedside.

His daughter has no memory of the massacre, he said, telling jurors that his only crime was trying to cover it up for Haylee, 13, who now lives in Lander with her grandparents. Tami Reay grew up in Lander. Brad Reay's sentence is no mystery. State law requires a mandatory life sentence without parole when prosecutors do not seek the death penalty in first-degree murder cases. Circuit Judge Kathleen Trandahl refused to sentence Reay on the spot Wednesday.

Although the slain woman's family and others affected by the crime would like to put the ordeal of her death behind them, it's also important to noncancerous Since the 1990s, the popularity of uterine artery embolization has steadily grown. An estimated 13,000 to 14,000 embolizations are done each year in the U.S., according to the Society of Interventional Radiology. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that while embolization is an option for women with fibroids, there's not enough evidence to show that it's safe for women who want to get pregnant. The procedure involves making a small nick in the groin and inserting a catheter in the artery. Using real-time imaging, doctors then blast tiny pellets into the uterine artery to cut off the blood supply that feeds the fibroids.

Over time, these tumors shrink and die. Patients typically stay overnight in the hospital and are usually sedated or under local anesthesia during the procedure. Embolization, which is covered by most major insurers, tends to be cheaper than surgery at the outset. The costs even out during follow-up care, according to various estimates. that private property should be one of the most sacred rights that we protect, and that public land should be used for public purposes wherever possible," Wallis said.

But others questioned whether Wallis' proposal would lead to inefficiency in laying out routes for pipelines and power Rep. Del McOmie, R-Lan- By JOE KAFKA Associated Press writer PIERRE, S.D. The prosecutor of killer Brad Reay said the defendant's accusation against his daughter did not help him in the minds of jurors. "That's the most cowardly blame-sharing act I've seen from a defendant in 27 years," Chief Deputy Attorney General Mark Barnett said following Reay's conviction of first-degree murder for the death of his wife, Tami. Reay, 47, tried two tactics before his trial.

First, he tried to trick investigators into thinking his wife was raped and killed by Brian Clark. Clark, a co-worker of Tami Reay, was having an affair with her last year when she disappeared Feb. 7. Her nude body, mutilated by three dozen knife wounds and a slashed throat, was found two days later near a dirt road on the prairie. Clark was home with his wife on the night Tami disappeared, and her husband was immediately arrested.

While in jail, Reay penned an anonymous letter to prosecutors with details only the killer could know, hoping to frame Clark. The ploy didn't work. Next, Reay's lawyer told prosecutors his defense would FIBROIDS: Are Continued from A1 treatment. Although the study address whether embolization can preserve fertility, it adds to growing evidence that this less drastic approach is a safe alternative to hysterectomy. "For some women, retaining a uterus is much more important than avoiding repeat surgery, particularly for younger women," said Dr.

James Spies, a Georgetown University radiologist who had no role in the new research. Spies successfully treated Condoleezza Rice, who was then U.S. national security adviser, with fibroid embolization in 2004. Fibroids are noncancerous growths of muscle fibers inside the uterus that can range from a quarter inch in size to as large as a cantaloupe. In serious cases, uterine fibroids can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic soreness and pain during sex.

For decades, hysterectomy removal of the uterus was the only option. Of the roughly 600,000 hysterectomies performed yearly in the United States, about a third are due to fibroids. or federal lands were available for a project. "If there are public lands available, then those lands should be used for the project, unless the private landowners want to make a deal and have the project come on their land," said Rep. Sue Wallis, R-Recluse, sponsor of the failed amendment.

"My gut instincts tell me P8 Jfa jma'gm Jfafcss rutroni ceunty Meals On Wheels UfiMitti lit innttl Chili Mhles. I Baubles Uonncl'' faffed dhtakliff far Ja2i titrntA, tti nitf ntrt frtfiiiiMill Ik. Lean about the growing I 1 1 pLJT I ISiSil 1 Uterus Fibroid Uterine artery The catheter releases plastic particles each about the size of a grain of sand into the arteries that feed the fibroid, blocking the flow of blood. Catheter Plastic particles AP Wyoming Department of Transportation does a lot of surveying. He said the state shouldn't put the department in the position of having to pay landowners whatever they ask to conduct such work.

Capital bureau reporter Joan Barron can be reached at (307) 632-1244 or at joan.barron ecasperstartribune.net. VStf FA Doctors locate the arteries that supply blood to the fibroid by injecting a liquid that can be seen on an X-ray then observe how it makes its way to the growth. A catheter is inserted into the leg of a sedated patient and threaded up and around to the uterine artery. SOURCE: Georgetown University Hospital der, said, "My concern is that this language is so broad that it would zigzag all over trying to stay on the public land." Another proposed amendment that would have required companies to pay landowners for entry onto their property for appraisals and other assessment work also failed. Rep.

Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, warned that the uterine artervl Fibroid. I I 1 amendment would have required state, federal lands be condemned first DOMAIN: Failed Continued from A1 so it no longer allows jury trials in condemnation cases. Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, who was prime sponsor of many of the failed amendments, said he will try again. "I just want the landowner to be treated more fairly," he said after the House adjourned Wednesday afternoon.

"They ought to be able to know what a company paid other people and to have an appraisal," he added. Laurie Goodman of the Landowners' Association of Wyoming said the bill is going backward from current law in terms of the landowners' period to negotiate. Goodman said the principle is simple: "When you begin to plan a project on land that doesn't belong to you, tell the landowners." "The issue that is disturbing to us at this point is the lack of a priority that property owners have superior rights," she added. "If there should be any default, it should be in our favor." She noted that the bill is endorsed by industry, the condemnors. But Rep.

Doug Samuelson, R-Cheyenne, the chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Public Lands and Water Resources, said a lot of landowners also support the bill "But they don't have a lob a byist," he added. "They told us they don't want us to screw up the great relationships they have with industry," he added. Some of them receive annual payments from the companies, in addition to lumpsum settlements, and they like that, Samuelson said. "I'm just trying to keep to the middle of the road," he said. He said he is aware of abuses, such as a case in Albany County where pipeline officials told the landowners they would be back in 10 months.

The next thing the landowner received was notice of condemnation action. Goodman mentioned the experience of Jim Willadsen, who ranches outside of Cheyenne and was unaware of Cheyenne Bureau of Public Utilities project that had been planned for years and would affect his property. "By the time they gave him notice, it was a done deal," she said. The rancher and his neighbors dealt with the situation "politically," she added. That's the reason her group of landowners feels so strongly about proper advance notice, Goodman said.

Another faiied amendment Wednesday would have specified that private property couldn't be condemned if state 40 Years of the Nic Another High School? A retrospective of the Nicolaysen Art A look at plans for a third high school In Museum in Range Casper a' Tsa wTOwaQadwrtbrt for drtaflt Or contact, four Ktipapffrtprfsfffialte. -vl. 1..