Shannon Brandt, the individual who admitted guilt in the fatal incident involving conservative teenager Cayler Ellingson, 18, has received a five-year prison sentence as part of a plea agreement.
On the night of the incident, Brandt, aged 42, reportedly engaged in a verbal altercation with the 18-year-old during a street dance event. The teenager contacted his mother when Brandt began pursuing him in his vehicle, expressing concerns for his safety.
Brandt subsequently struck Ellingson with his 2003 Ford Explorer, causing the young man to fall to the ground. He then drove over the teen’s ‘torso and legs,’ leading to his tragic death. Brandt left the scene but returned shortly afterward to call 911.
During the 911 call, Brandt falsely claimed that the boy had connections to a ‘right-wing extremist group,’ an assertion that has since been thoroughly debunked.
According to a transcript of the call, Brandt stated, “He was threatening me with something to have to do with — something with an extremist Republican group. And then he made a phone call. He made a phone call saying, ‘I thought he was Republican (background noise) or something. You’re going have to come here and handle him.’ I got scared to death. I didn’t know what to do,” he said.
Despite the severity of the crime, Brandt received a mere five-year prison sentence on Friday, with credit for time served under house arrest, reducing his jail term by nearly a full year. Additionally, he will be under supervised release for one year.
Initially charged with intentional homicide, Brandt’s charges were downgraded to manslaughter by Foster County State’s Attorney Kara E Brinster, with the approval of Southeast Judicial District Judge Bradley Cruff. Reportedly, the judge took Brandt’s psychological condition into account, particularly his autism diagnosis, which experts suggested affected his ability to navigate social situations and resulted in an exaggerated response during the confrontation with Ellingson, as reported by KFGO.
“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.
Brandt addressed the courtroom prior to his sentencing and claimed he “takes responsibility” for Ellingson’s death.
“I’m here to take responsibility for the role I played in this tragedy. I’m 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.
Days prior to the tragic death of Ellingson, which appears to have been motivated in part by animus against the teen for allegedly being part of an extremist group, President Joe Biden gave a controversial speech on purported right-wing extremism.
“Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” Biden said Thursday night at Independence Hall, flanked by two U.S. Marines. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
“But there’s no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans,” he added. “And that is a threat to this country.”
During Biden’s speech, four domestic counterterrorism officials told Yahoo News they were concerned the president’s words would further divide the nation.
“I fear he is lighting a fuse that is not going to go well,” one senior Biden counterterrorism official said. “Sadly this is not a united speech but a very divisive one.”
Just for contrast, two non-violent January 6 protesters were recently sentenced to 22 years and 17 years, respectively, for their role in the Capitol riots. A Biden-supporting man who hit and then ran over a Trump-supporting teenager, killing him in the prime of his youth, and then initially fled the scene of the crime, has been given five years, including one year off for time served. This is “social justice” according to the radical left.
