Latest / Murder Files Unsealed / Man pleads guilty to killing Dylan Rounds

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Man pleads guilty to killing Dylan Rounds · Murder Files Unsealed

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This deep dive takes us into the case of nineteen
• 0:03
  year old Dylan Rounds. You might remember back in May
• 0:06
  twenty twenty two, he vanished from his farm in Utah
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  after a call to his grandmother, and it was a
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  missing person case, turned into a huge mystery, and now
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  finally some answers.
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  Speaker 2: What's interesting is how the resolution hinges on a plea
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  deal with James Brenner, who was squatting on a property
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  near Dylan's farm. He's admitted to murdering Dylan.
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  Speaker 1: A plea deal. Huh okay, So for those of us
• 0:29
  who aren't legal experts, can you kind of like break
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  that down for us? What was Brenner initially charged with
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  and what did he end up pleading guilty to.
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  Speaker 2: Initially he faced aggravated murder, essentially a very serious charge.
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  It means the murder was premeditated or particularly brutal. But
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  as part of this plea deal, it got reduced to murder,
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  which is still incredibly serious, a second degree felony instead
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  of a first degree.
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  Speaker 1: And what did Breunner have to do in exchange for that?
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  Speaker 2: The agreement said he had to lead investigators to Dylan's remains.
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  Kind of bittersweet. You know, tragically, Dylan's remains were found
• 1:00
  near Loos in Utah, and in exchange for giving them
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  that information, the additional charge of desecration of human remains,
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  which was also brought against Brenner, was dropped.
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  Speaker 1: That must have been a really difficult decision for the family,
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  knowing that finding their son's remains meant agreeing to a
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  lesser charge for his killer. What does the plea deal
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  actually mean for Brenner's sentence? What kind of punishment are
• 1:21
  we looking at?
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  Speaker 2: So the agreement recommends a mandatory prison sentence, so he
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  will be going to prison. And here's where it gets complicated.
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  That the sentences for each of the charges they'll run consecutively.
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  So it's like, imagine like blocks, right, each block is
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  a sentence. Consecutive means he serves the blocks one after
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  the other, making the total time longer.
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  Speaker 1: So he'll be serving time for each crime separately. That
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  makes sense. But before we get to the family's reaction,
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  what was the evidence that actually led to his arrest
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  in the first place. What made investigators think he was involved?
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  Speaker 2: So the investigation showed some really important evidence. Remember those
• 1:57
  boots that were found near the property. Forensic testing found
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  they had both Dylan's blood and Brenner's DNA on them.
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  Plus investigator's got a time lapse video. It shows Brenner
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  cleaning a gun and it's really showing. You can actually
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  see bloodstains on his clothing in the video.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so blood and DNA evidence. Did they ever test
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  that blood to see if it was actually Dylan's?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, this is where it gets really solid. Yeah, testing
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  showed that the blood on Brenner's shirt from that video
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  was Dylan's.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, that's just heartbreaking to hear. But it sounds like
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  a very strong case against Brenner, almost like he was
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  documenting his own crime. But why, why would someone do
• 2:36
  something so awful? Do we know anything about a possible motive?
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  Speaker 2: That's what's so hard to understand about this whole thing.
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  According to Dylan's mother, it seems there was a disagreement
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  between Dylan and Brenner about Dylan parking his truck on
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  the property. Can you believe that a disagreement over parking?
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  It's hard to imagine how something that seems so small
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  could lead to something so violent.
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  Speaker 1: It's almost too much to process. A young man's life,
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  take and overparking a truck makes you think, you know,
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  how could anyone do something like that? But let's talk
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  about Dylan's family for a second. How have they reacted
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  to this plea deal and the potential sentence.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's complicated, as you can imagine. You know, all
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  those emotions relief because now they have answers, they were
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  able to bring Dylan home, but they've also said they're
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  frustrated with the sentencing guidelines. They feel that the potential
• 3:26
  sentence for murder doesn't really mean justice for losing their son.
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  Speaker 1: I can imagine how hard that must be, wanting justice
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  for Dylan but knowing the legal system has its limits.
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  Did any family members speak out about how they feel.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Dylan's mother, Candace Coolly, she gave a powerful statement.
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  She said, only one to fifteen years is for murdering Dylan.
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  The rest is gun charges. So constituents of Utah think
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  about it and who you vote for. These laws are
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  made by our legislation, and if you want them changed,
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  this could be your kid, and it could be a
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  man serving more time for having the guns than for
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  murdering your child.
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  Speaker 1: With them to hear that and not feel how much
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  pain she's in. It reminds you of how complex the
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  justice system is, you know, and how the people affected
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  by these tragedies often feel let down by the system
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  that should be protecting them.
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  Speaker 2: And it raises this important question about different sentences for
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  different crimes. We see it a lot. Sentences for violent
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  crimes like murder can sometimes be less severe than sentences
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  for just having a gun.
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  Speaker 1: That's definitely something to think about. Despite the grief and
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  frustration with the system, Dylan's family has been incredibly strong.
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  They've started a nonprofit in Dylan's name. Can you tell
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  us about that. What is Dylan's Legacy about? It's called
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  Dylan's Legacy, and you know, it's been one of the
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  most powerful parts of this whole thing for me, how
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  they're taking such a terrible experience and helping others. Can
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  you tell us about their mission and how they're supporting
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  these families.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Dylan's Legacy is all about providing resources and support
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  to families of missing people. You know, it became so
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  clear to Dylan's family how much this was needed during
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  their own search, you know, filling the gaps, offering guidance,
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  making sure families don't feel as lost as they did.
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  Speaker 1: That feeling of being alone during a case like this.
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  I can only imagine how awful that would be. What
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  are some of the things they're actually doing. What kind
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  of resources are they providing.
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  Speaker 2: They've got a few important things, like they provide financial
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  help to families because searching can get expensive. And they
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  connect families with legal experts because these cases can be
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  very complicated. And of course they have counseling and support groups.
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  It's a space for families to talk about their experience
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  and find support. So see, they want to be a
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  real resource offering many kinds of support.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, it sounds like they're doing so much. They understand
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  that families need more than just emotional support, they need
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  practical help as well. You mentioned earlier that Dylan's legacy
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  is also focused on prevention. Can you tell me more
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  about that. How are they trying to prevent tragedies like
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  this from happening.
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  Speaker 2: One of their big goals is advocating for better commute
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  munication systems, especially in rural areas, which was a problem
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  in Dellan's case. They want better cell service and internet
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  access because those things can be really important when someone
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  first goes missing. They're also trying to make people more
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  aware of personal safety, teaching people how to protect themselves
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  and what to do in an emergency. It's about giving
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  people the tools and the knowledge.
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  Speaker 1: So I've been proactive. They're learning from what happened to
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  Dylan and working to protect others. That's really inspiring considering
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  what they've been through. By the way, didn't they also
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  get help from the Missing an American Network during their search?
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  Speaker 2: Yes, that's right. The Missing in America Network was crucial.
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  They supported the family and help organize search efforts. They're
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  a national group that focuses on raising awareness about missing persons,
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  and they give families all over the country support and resources.
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  Speaker 1: That just goes to show how important these networks are.
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  It's hard to grasp the fear and uncertainty when someone
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  you love disappears. It's comforting to know that there are
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  groups out there who were dedicated to helping these families
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  through it.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. It shows the power of community, people coming together
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  offering support, hope even when things are so bad. It's
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  a reminder that even then, there are people who care,
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  people fighting for these families, and that can make a
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  huge difference.
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  Speaker 1: It's a reminder that we're not alone. That even in
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  the face of something so tragic, there's still good people
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  who want to help. It's something we should all remember.
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  This case brings up some really difficult questions though about
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  the justice system. I mean, we talked about the plea
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  to you and how the family feels about the possible sentence.
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  It makes you think about what justice really means for
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  the victims and their families. What do you think about
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  all that.
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  Speaker 2: It's complex, for sure. The Rounds case really shows the
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  tough parts of the legal system. You need to hold
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  people accountable for what they've done, make sure justice is done,
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  but you also have to consider what the victim's family needs,
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  what they think is a fair outcome, what would bring
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  them closure. It's hard.
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  Speaker 1: It's like there's this back and forth between those two sides,
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  and in a case like this, where there are so
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  many many emotions involved, it's even harder to find that balance.
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  For Dylan's family, it must be so hard knowing that
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  the man who killed their son might not get what
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  they feel is a fair sentence. But it sounds like
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  they want to use what happened to them to try
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  and change the system right.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Cantice Cooley's statement. It was so powerful. She wants
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  to use their pain to make a real difference. They're
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  pushing for a new look at sentiencing guidelines, especially for
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  violent crimes compared to gun charges. This is a conversation
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  we need to have, and they're bravely leading the way.
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  Speaker 1: They're incredible. They're not going to let Dylan's death be
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  for nothing. They're going to fight to protect others, to
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  make sure justice is really served exactly.
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  Speaker 2: They're turning their grief into action. It's a powerful way
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  to honor Dylan and to make a positive impact because
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  of what happened to him. It also shows the special
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  problems that families face when someone goes missing in a
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  rural area. Like law enforcement doesn't always have a lot
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  of resources, it's harder to communicate, and those big open
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  spaces make searching really tough.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense. It just adds more difficulty and
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  frustration to an already impossible situation. So how is Dylan's
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  legacy addressing the needs of families in rural communities? What
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  are they doing to bridge those gaps? So they're really
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  taking like a multi pronged approach to this.
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  Speaker 2: Huh, Yeah, for sure. One thing they're doing is they're
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  building a network of volunteers, but like trained volunteers, specifically
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  in these rural areas, so these people can get out
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  there quickly and help with searches they're really needed in
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  those first few hours and days. You know. They're also
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  pushing for more funding for law enforcement in those areas
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  so they have what they need, the resources, the technology
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  to investigate these cases properly. And they're working with like
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  local businesses and groups, you know, to spread awareness and
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  teach people what to do someone goes missing.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not just reacting after the fact. They're trying
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  to make these communities stronger, more aware, so they can
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  be prepared. That's really something, you know, thinking back to
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  how we started this deep dive, it's so easy to
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  focus on the li legal stuff, the ple deal, the sentence,
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  but what really hits me is the human side of it.
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  This young man, his life was cut short, and his
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  family is community left with this huge hole. It's just
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  it's hard to understand that kind of pain.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it really is, and it's important to remember even
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  though the legal part might be finished, the healing for
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  Dylan's family in the community that's still going on they're
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  dealing with this loss, trying to understand something that doesn't
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  make sense, and that's where Dylan's legacy comes in. They
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  offer support, hope. They show that even in the darkest times,
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  people care, people are there to help them find a
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  way through.
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  Speaker 1: It's that sense of community. You know that we're not
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  alone in this. It shines through even in the midst
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  of something so terrible, we have to be there for
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  each other. Even small things can make a difference. As
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  we wrap up this deep dive, I have to say
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  I'm feeling a lot of things right now. Sadness of
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  course for Dylan and his family, and I feel frustrated
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  too with the justice system. It feels like true justice
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  isn't always possible. But there's also hope that because of
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  Dylan's legacy, other families won't have to go through this,
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  Hope that we can all learn from this and work
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  together to prevent these kinds of things from happening.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's a really great point this deep dive.
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  It's been a journey, right We've looked at the investigation,
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  the evidence, the plea deal. We talked about forensics, the
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  challenges for law enforcement, especially in rural areas and the
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  ethics of plea bargains. But in the end, it comes
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  back to the people, the loss, the grief, how strong
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  people can be in the face of tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: It does, and even though this deep dive is ending,
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  the conversation doesn't have to keep thinking about these issues.
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  Learn more about Dylan's legacy, the missing an American network.
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  What can you do in your own community, Even small
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  things like volunteering, donating, spreading awareness. Everything helps.
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  Speaker 2: I remember they may have found Dylan, but the search
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  for justice, for healing, for a world where these things
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  don't happen so often, that continues and we can all
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  be part of that.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: Well said, this has been the deep dive. We hope
• 12:00
  you'll join us again. Soon we'll be looking at another topic,
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  uncovering the truth, sharing the stories that need to be told.
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  Until then, keep learning, keep asking questions, keep the conversation going.