Brandt pleads guilty to manslaughter

Shannon Brandt has pleaded guilty to running over and killing 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson last year.

At a hearing on Thursday, May 18, Brandt entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter, a Class B felony which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Foster County State’s Attorney Kara Brinster has now dropped the Class B felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

The guilty plea comes just two weeks after the murder charge against Brandt was downgraded to manslaughter and a little under two weeks before his trial was scheduled to begin.

In a press release, Brinster provided the “factual basis” for the manslaughter charge.

“On September 17, 2022, the defendant was consuming alcohol in McHenry, Foster County, North Dakota,” the release stated. “Sometime in the early morning hours of September 18, 2022, the defendant was engaged in a verbal argument with the victim, C.E.; As a result of the argument, the defendant was recklessly driving his black 2003 Ford Explorer in Foster County.

“The Defendant recklessly drove his vehicle and recklessly struck the victim, knocking him down and recklessly drove over the victim’s torso and legs thereby causing the death of C.E.”

Having pleaded guilty, the next step for Brandt is sentencing. However, according to the press release, the court has ordered a presentence investigation which must take place first.

A presentence investigation is meant to look into the background of a convicted person in order to determine if there are extenuating circumstances that could impact the leniency or severity of a sentence.

The process could take a number of months, just as it did with Matthew Braun, the man deemed guilty of burglarizing two New Rockford bars last summer.

Brandt will remain under his bond conditions while he awaits sentencing, including house arrest.

The maximum penalty for a Class B felony in the state of North Dakota is 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $20,000, or both.