Cayler Ellingson (Left), Shannon Brandt (Right)
WAHPETON, N.D. (KFGO) – A Glenfield, North Dakota man who hit and killed another man with his car following a street dance in McHenry last fall has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Shannon Brandt, 42, faces a maximum 10-year prison term.
A murder charge against Brandt in the death of Cayler Ellingson, 18, was recently reduced to manslaughter after a plea agreement with the Foster County State’s Attorney was approved by Southeast Judicial District Judge Bradley Cruff.
“A couple weeks ago, the prosecution amended the charge from homicide to manslaughter,” Friese said. “We didn’t know that was going to happen. And then, last week, there were depositions of a number of the prosecution witnesses that had been disclosed to the prosecutor.”
Friese said he believes that painted a much clearer picture for the prosecution of the totality of the events that had occurred.
“The truth of all of this is this was a tragic accident,” Brandt’s attorney, Mark Friese of Fargo, said. “The State Medical Examiner’s Office has concluded it was an accident. Mr. Brandt from the very beginning, and consistently, has said that he was simply trying to avoid the confrontation, and in the process of trying to get away, the accident happened.”
Initially, a state trooper said that Brandt and Ellingson had gotten into a political argument. That claim was later discounted.
Friese previously said the allegation of intentional homicide was misplaced, and media hype and community conjecture is no substitute for evidence.
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