The charges against a North Dakota man who allegedly hit a “Republican extremist” teenager with his car, resulting in his death, have been upgraded from vehicular homicide to murder.
Further investigation into Shannon Brandt, 41, led Foster County State’s Attorney Kara Brinster to dismiss Brandt’s previous charges, upgrading them to murder and failure of duty in an accident involving death and injury on Friday. The murder charge alone is a Class AA felony, while vehicular homicide is a Class A felony.
Brandt now faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without parole if found guilty of the murder charge. Should he receive the penalty of life with parole, he will still have to serve 30 years of his sentence before appearing before a parole board, according to the charging documents obtained by the Washington Examiner.
MAN KILLS TEENAGER AFTER POLITICAL ARGUMENT OVER REPUBLICAN VIEWS
From the moment Brandt called 911 after allegedly hitting Cayler Ellingson, 18, with his 2003 Ford Explorer, “Brandt made comments regarding the incident being intentional and not an accident,” according to the affidavit. At one point, he asked the dispatcher if he would be going to prison. Brandt also claimed he was “scared to death” because Ellingson allegedly wouldn’t let him leave after he tried to take off in his vehicle.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol investigated the alley where Ellingson was found and saw there were no acceleration or skid marks in the gravel. Ellingson, who later died of his injuries at Carrington Hospital, was autopsied by Dr. Kevin Maley of the University of North Dakota Forensic Pathology Center. Maley determined that Ellingson’s injuries indicated he was already on the ground when he received them, determining that his injuries did not come from being struck by Brandt’s car but from being run over. Special Agent Jeramie Quam of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation saw little to no damage to the front of Brandt’s car, corroborating Maley’s autopsy results.
Brandt also allegedly claimed he knew who Ellingson’s parents, Sheri and Cole, were, according to the affidavit. Ellingson called his mother the night he died to ask if she knew Brandt since he claimed to know her.
Brandt was booked in the Stutsman County Correctional Center and released days later on $50,000 bond, which was significantly higher than the bonds set for inmates released in the last 72 hours there. At the Stutsman County jail, Brandt consented to an alcohol breath test, which found he was above the legal limit of 0.08, according to a declaration of probable cause obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Judge James D. Hovey of the Southeast Judicial District issued a new warrant for his arrest, also obtained by the Washington Examiner. Brandt’s bond has yet to be determined.
During his interactions with investigating officers, Brandt claimed Ellingson was part of a “Republican extremist group.” North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind claimed that after interviewing witnesses at the scene and those who knew Ellingson, there was reportedly no evidence that proved Ellingson had any extreme political beliefs or that a political argument had even occurred.
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Three different local bars donated 100% of their sales last Saturday to the Ellingson family. Carrington High School, the school Ellingson had recently graduated from, held a moment of silence during its homecoming football game last week in his memory. The fundraising campaign for Ellingson’s funeral has raised over $52,000.
