West
Utah squatter suspected in Dylan Rounds' death pleads guilty to murder charge
The Utah squatter suspected of killing a 19-year-old who struck out on his own farm two years ago admitted to shooting the teen in the head on a rainy day as he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a Brigham City court Wednesday.
James Brenner, 60, had long been suspected of killing the teen, but evidence was scarce until investigators found Dylan Rounds’ phone, and a timelapse video that showed the killer covered in blood and cleaning a gun.
“That phone told us a lot, besides having the video on it and the data,” Rounds’ mother Candice Cooley previously told Fox News Digital. “Amazing they got the video off of it.”
Brenner, who shot another man in Maryland in the 1980s in a work dispute, is already a convicted felon who is barred for life from owning guns. He was squatting on land near Rounds’ farm, police have said.
UTAH SQUATTER TAKES PLEA DEAL IN TEEN FARMER’S MURDER, LEADS DETECTIVES TO ‘SKELETAL REMAINS’
Dylan Rounds, 19, was last seen in Lucin, Utah, on May 25, 2022, authorities said. (Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office)
As previously reported, the transient killer agreed to divulge the location of Rounds’ remains in exchange for reduced charges, dramatically reducing his prison sentence. His charge of first-degree felony aggravated murder was reduced to second-degree felony murder.
Prosecutors dismissed a desecration of human remains charge as well as an unrelated assault case.
James Brenner exits the courtroom in Box Elder County, Utah, in July 2023. Brenner is charged with the murder of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds, whose remains were recovered on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, nearly two years after his death. (EastIdahoNews.com)
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However, he is expected to spend decades in prison on the state charges and a federal felony in possession of a firearm guilty plea. The sentences must be served consecutively, not concurrently, according to prosecutors.
“Being able to bring Dylan home and bring this prosecution to a successful conclusion is a great relief,” Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield said in a statement. “It has been amazing to see what the tireless and unrelenting efforts of so many different people can accomplish.”
Dylan Rounds, a 19-year-old Idaho native who struck off on his own as a farmer in Utah, is pictured in an undated family photo. His suspected killer, James Brenner, pleaded guilty Wednesday. (Box Elder County Sheriff’s Department)
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More than 30 law enforcement agencies from Utah and elsewhere assisted in the case, he said. Additionally, Rounds’ family put up a six-figure reward as volunteers spent weeks searching the cave-lined, rural area.
Rounds vanished in May 2022 after telling his grandmother he had to park his grain truck in a shelter because it started to rain.
Brenner was living in a trailer set up on land near the shelter without the owner’s permission, squatting there.
Candice Cooley says her son Dylan Rounds is singularly focused on farming. (Candice Cooley)
After Brenner confessed to the slaying, the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI recovered his remains near Lucin, where the teen had a farm about 200 miles from Salt Lake City.
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The Idaho native grew up as a farmer and had just planted the first crop on his own land when he was killed, his mother said.
He avoided video games, did not use drugs and stayed off social media.
Cooley is calling on Utah voters to push for stiffer punishments for violent criminals.
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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.
He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.
MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche
In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.
“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.
A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.
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A registered sex offender convicted in a child sex abuse material case is seeking elected office in California — launching a campaign for Fresno City Council amid fierce backlash and renewed questions about whether someone with his record should hold public office.
Rene Campos, a Fresno native required to register as a sex offender, has announced plans to run for the District 7 seat on the Fresno City Council.
Campos was charged in 2018 with possession of child sex abuse material, according to court records. He has said he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and is now a registered sex offender.
His opponent, Nav Gurm, says the campaign has transformed what should be a local race focused on infrastructure and public safety into a national controversy.
Rene Campos in a 2018 booking photo related to a child sex abuse material possession case. Campos, now a registered sex offender, has launched a campaign for Fresno City Council. (State of California Department of Justice)
“His candidacy is a slap in the face to families and children in Fresno,” Gurm told Fox News Digital. “They deserve a councilmember who can show up at their schools and in their neighborhoods without restriction.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Campos defended his candidacy, arguing he has met all legal requirements.
“I satisfied every legal obligation imposed under the laws this state enacted for accountability and rehabilitation,” Campos said.
CONVICTED KILLER KEPT IN POLICE OVERSIGHT ROLE AS CITY COUNCIL DISMISSES CONCERNS OVER PUBLIC SAFETY
The entrance to Fresno City Hall in Fresno, California. The District 7 City Council seat is up for election amid controversy surrounding a registered sex offender candidate. (James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
“If those same laws can be set aside when politically inconvenient, then we are not debating one candidacy — we are testing whether the rule of law is stable or selective. Democracy depends on consistent standards. When eligibility shifts under pressure, public confidence weakens. Voters decide elections — not political preference.”
Under California law, registered sex offenders are not automatically barred from seeking or holding local office as long as they meet voter registration and residency requirements.
But Gurm argues that legality does not equate to fitness for office.
CHILD PREDATOR DUBBED ‘MONSTER PARENTS FEAR MOST’ CLEARED FOR RELEASE THROUGH CALIFORNIA PAROLE PROGRAM
“While it may not be a legal disqualification, it’s a disqualification in practice,” he said. “If you can’t fully participate in school events, youth gatherings and community activities, you can’t fully do the job.”
Gurm is urging state lawmakers to amend eligibility standards.
“I urge the Fresno City Council and the California State Legislature to push forward legislation making lifetime sex offender registration an explicit disqualification for holding public office,” he said.
NEW JERSEY POLICE SERGEANT, FORMER DEM MAYOR ALLEGEDLY DRUGGED, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED CHILD HE MET ONLINE
Nav Gurm, a candidate for Fresno City Council District 7, has called on his opponent to withdraw from the race amid controversy. (Nav Gurm for Fresno City Council Campaign Team)
The backlash has extended beyond campaign opponents.
Fresno City Council President Mike Karbassi said he believes voters will reject Campos and suggested he would oppose him taking office if elected.
“When it comes to the safety and welfare of our children, your past matters,” Karbassi said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “So long as I am Council President, I will not permit him to be seated on the Fresno City Council.”
VICTIM FEARS FOR OTHERS AFTER CALIFORNIA PAROLE BOARD APPROVES RELEASE OF CONVICTED CHILD PREDATOR
It remains unclear what legal authority, if any, the council president would have to prevent an elected candidate from assuming office.
Outgoing Councilman Nelson Esparza, who currently represents District 7 and is termed out, also criticized the campaign.
“Regardless of any rehabilitation, he needs to find a different line of work,” Esparza told Fox News Digital. “So much of what I do in this district is for and with respect to our children and youth. I don’t see any reasonable way someone with registered sex offender status could effectively do this job.”
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Esparza noted that councilmembers regularly participate in school initiatives and that children frequently visit City Hall for tours and meetings. He said councilmembers are examining possible municipal policy changes and urging legislative action at the state level.
The District 7 seat will open when Esparza’s term expires. Candidates face a filing deadline in early March, and the primary election is scheduled for June.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
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