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Utah squatter suspected in Dylan Rounds' death pleads guilty to murder charge

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Utah squatter suspected in Dylan Rounds' death pleads guilty to murder charge

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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.

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“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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Cooley is calling on Utah voters to push for stiffer punishments for violent criminals.



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San Francisco, CA

Giants scratch Rafael Devers from lineup with tight hamstring

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Giants scratch Rafael Devers from lineup with tight hamstring


Friday, February 27, 2026 9:48PM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The San Francisco Giants scratched slugger Rafael Devers from the starting lineup because of a tight hamstring, keeping him out of a spring training game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

The three-time All-Star and 2018 World Series champion is starting his first full season with the Giants after they acquired him in a trade with the Boston Red Sox last year.

Devers hit 35 home runs and had 109 RBIs last season, playing 90 games with San Francisco and 73 in Boston. He signed a $313.5 million, 10-year contract in 2023 with the Red Sox.

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He was 20 when he made his major league debut in Boston nine years ago, and he helped them win the World Series the following year.

Devers, who has 235 career homers and 747 RBIs, led Boston in RBIs for five straight seasons and has finished in the top 20 in voting for AL MVP five times.

Copyright © 2026 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.



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Denver, CO

University of Denver to close Ricks Center for Gifted Children next year

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University of Denver to close Ricks Center for Gifted Children next year


The University of Denver will close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children next year as enrollment has fallen in recent years, the college announced this week.

The Ricks Center, which serves gifted children as young as 3 years old, will operate for the 2026-27 academic year before closing, according to a letter DU sent parents on Wednesday.

“The University of Denver has made the difficult decision to close the Ricks Center for Gifted Children at the conclusion of the 2026–2027 academic year,” spokesman Jon Stone said in a statement. “This decision reflects long-term operational and financial considerations and is not a reflection of the school’s quality, leadership, or community.”

The center, which is located on DU’s campus, was started in 1984 as the University Center for Gifted Young Children. The program offers classes to students in preschool through eighth grade, according to the website.

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The program, along with other public K-12 schools in the state, has experienced declining enrollment in recent years. The center enrolled 142 students for the 2025-26 academic year, which is down from 200 pupils four years ago.



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Seattle, WA

Three trapped after car goes into ditch near Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum

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Three trapped after car goes into ditch near Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum


Firefighters are responding to a car that drove into a ditch near Lake Washington Boulevard East and East Foster Island Road on Friday, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Crews arriving at the scene reported that three people are trapped inside the car.

Firefighters were working to stabilize the car and get everyone out safely. Crews worked to remove the roof of the car to get everyone out, according to fire officials.

Authorities are urging the public to avoid the area while emergency crews respond.

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The crash occurred in the area between the Montlake and Broadmoor neighborhoods, and traffic can be expected as emergency crews respond.

No additional information was immediately available.



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