An 18-year-old who was allegedly murdered in North Dakota over the teen’s purportedly conservative opinions was swiftly released from jail. Shannon Joseph Brandt, 41, of Glenfield was released from a local jail just two days after confessing to killing Cayler Ellingson, 18, in what appears to have been a politically motivated attack. Townhall was the first to publish this.
According to jail records, Brandt was released from custody on Tuesday, and the superintendent of the Stutsman County Correctional Center verified to Townhall that the defendant had secured a $50,000 bond yesterday. Justin Johnson, the sheriff for Foster County, confirmed that Brandt is back on the streets pending his upcoming court date.
Brandt started cleaning up his locked-down social media activity after his quick release. After several public comments flooded the suspect’s page on Wednesday, his Facebook account was subsequently disabled.
🚨 41-year-old suspected killer Shannon Brandt, who admitted to hitting 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson with his car over the teen's conservative views, was RELEASED yesterday on $50k bond. Brandt has been charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly accident. pic.twitter.com/ulWpwOa5CN
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) September 21, 2022
The tragic hit-and-run occurred early on Sunday morning in the small town of McHenry as a neighborhood street dance was coming to an end, according to the Fargo-based InForum, which first reported on the Brandt case.
According to a probable cause affidavit Townhall obtained through a public documents request, Ellingson’s body was discovered close to the junction of Johnston Street and Jones Avenue on a dirt path. According to a call made to State Radio emergency services at around 2:55 a.m., Brandt confirmed to a dispatcher that he hit Ellingson with his 2003 Ford Explorer before the horrifying finding and said that the pedestrian was threatening him and calling for help. a day ago.
Brandt was detained on Sunday for driving while intoxicated and agreed to a chemical breath test, the results of which were above the 0.08 legal blood alcohol limit. He has since been accused of abandoning the scene of a fatal accident and criminal vehicular murder. Brandt may spend up to 20 years behind bars if found guilty of the first Class A felony. For Brandt’s second conviction, a Class B felony, the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison. Both offenses are punishable by imprisonment as well as a $20,000 fine.
