Castellaw Submits Ill-advised Motion

By Raul Fernandez 

(SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.) — Friday morning, August 29, 2025, Devante Castellaw, who was found guilty in the murder of Wyatt Reeb, appeared in court with a motion to withdraw his current court-pointed attorney.

Maren Chaloupka, who was appointed trial defense attorney to represent Castellaw, said she was shocked because the letter he sent to the court was not a reflection of the council she gave. While respecting her established attorney client confidentiality, she did state in her comments that “I still think this is a kid worth saving” while pleading the court to take into consideration her clients pressures and influences when determining a just sentence if the motion was granted.  

Dave Eubanks, the county attorney, when given a chance for comment, mentioned several key points. He stated that there had been a lot of comments in a post made by KNEB that may have influenced this motion calling them “goobers”. He made remarks about allegations of his “friendship” with the defense attorney, mentioning their time working together in a law firm before it was disbanded. He went on to comment on how difficult it would be to replace Chaloupka, since he didn’t know anyone else in the panhandle with as much experience handling murder cases.

Castellaw, who is awaiting sentencing in Scotts Bluff County Detention Center, said that as far as he’s concerned “I’ve done my research”. He asked Judge Miller to grant the motion to dismiss his council. He acknowledged her professionalism during her time as his trial attorney, but he believes they are not able to handle his case. He also respected his attorney client privileges and gave no specific examples for his motion.

Judge Miller denied Devante Castellaw (17) motion to dismiss council after hearing everyone’s comments. Stating a mere distrust or dissatisfaction is not enough to dismiss council. “Chaloupka is NOT incompetent” pronounced Judge Miller. She ordered that Chaloupka will remain an active council for Castellaw.