ND Man Sentenced to Prison in Fatal Hit-and-Run Case, Claimed Victim Was 'Republican Extremist'
Shannon Brandt, the North Dakota man who initially admitted he ran over and killed 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson after a political argument last year, was sentenced to five years in state prison Friday.
Brandt pled guilty in May to one felony count of manslaughter after prosecutors reduced the murder charge against him. Brandt's attorney, Mark Friese, said at the time Foster County State Attorney Kara Brinster chose to reduce the charge and it was not part of any plea deal.
Friese said state and defense forensic experts provided comprehensive reports describing the tragedy as an accident.
During his sentencing on Friday, a state district court judge ruled Brant would receive credit for nearly a year served, followed by three years supervised probation and a yearlong suspension of his driver's license. The charge's maximum penalty is 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both.
As CBN News reported last September, Brandt, 42, of Glenfield, North Dakota, was originally charged with criminal vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly accident, according to Inforum. The incident happened in McHenry, ND, located about 150 miles northeast of Bismarck, following a reported street dance.
The case drew attention on social media because Brandt initially said he ran over Ellingson, whom he called a Republican extremist, after an argument about politics.
Court documents reveal Brandt called 911 and told the dispatcher he just hit Ellingson, claiming the teen was part of a Republican extremist group. He claimed the teen was calling people to come and attack him after a political argument, Inforum reported.
Law enforcement authorities said Brandt was allegedly drunk when he hit and killed Ellingson with his SUV in an alleyway in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, 2022.
Ellingson was later pronounced dead at a Carrington hospital. Meanwhile, Brandt fled the scene and was arrested at his home in Glenfield, according to KVRR-TV. Officers found him "visibly intoxicated," according to the affidavit. The criminal vehicular homicide charge against Brandt was later upgraded to felony murder.
But investigators have since claimed the case was not political and said there is no evidence to support Brandt's claim that Ellingson was a Republican extremist.
Foster County Judge Bradley Cruff took time to address Brandt's drinking and his autism diagnosis during his sentencing Friday. Experts concluded it caused him to greatly amplify his reaction and response in his encounter with Ellingson.
"You didn't intentionally run him over. I acknowledge that. I understand what the experts in this case are saying about how your mind works. And you didn't intentionally kill Cayler. But he did die. And that's a result of your alcohol consumption. You recklessly pushed Cayler to the ground with your SUV, you recklessly ran him over, and you recklessly killed him," Cruff said.
Several of Ellingson's family members addressed the court before Brandt was sentenced. Ellingson's mother, Sheri, asked the judge not to follow the plea agreement and to give Brandt the maximum 10-year sentence, according to KVRR.
Directly addressing Brandt, she said, "Shannon, you took a piece of our family that's not replaceable. When you chose to take Cayler's life and happiness you took ours too. You have caused our family endless pain, heartache, sleepless nights. Our days, months, and years will never be the same because of your selfishness."
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Brandt also addressed the court before he was sentenced.
"I’m here to take responsibility for the role I played in this tragedy. I’ve very sorry to the Ellingson family, my family, and anybody else that has been affected by my actions. I have always enjoyed seeing the Ellingsons and would never have intentionally caused harm to any of them. I am truly devastated by the impact this has had on the entire community," Brandt said.
Friese told the AP that Brandt "is relieved to have finally been able to offer his apology and to allow the Ellingson family to move forward. It's been a very difficult year for everyone involved."
