Earlier this week it was reported that a man had murdered an 18-year-old teen in North Dakota over a political dispute.
The man, Shannon Brandt, claimed that he hit Cayler Ellingson with his vehicle after they had been in some kind of argument over politics.
Brandt claimed that Ellingson was a Republican extremist and that he called some of his friends to get Brandt.
But police now say there is zero evidence that this is what happened, suggesting Brandt, who was intoxicated, may be making up the entire story to cover up the murder.
Via Inforum:
Evidence gathered against a 41-year-old man accused of killing an 18-year-old man in northeast North Dakota does not support the defendant’s claims that the teenager was a Republican extremist who called people to come after the suspect before the vehicle-pedestrian crash, a state trooper said.
Investigators continue to gather information and statements from witnesses connected to the Sunday, Sept. 18, death of Cayler Ellingson, who was fatally hit by a vehicle after a street dance in McHenry, a town of roughly 60 people about 50 miles north of Jamestown.
Shannon Joseph Brandt, 41, of Glenfield, North Dakota, was charged Monday in Foster County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide and failure to report the crash immediately to law enforcement.
Brandt acknowledged to law enforcement that he drank alcohol before the crash, according to a criminal complaint. Brandt also allegedly left the scene but returned to call 911, the complaint said. He then returned to his home before officers arrived at the crime scene, according to the complaint.
He told investigators he hit Ellingson because of a political argument, the complaint alleged. The complaint did not give details about the argument, but Brandt allegedly claimed in a 911 call that Ellingson was part of a “Republican extremist group.”
Brandt alleged Ellingson called others “to come get him,” the complaint said.
The facts of the case so far do not support Brandt’s claims that he and Ellingson argued about politics or that the teenager was calling for people to come after Brandt, North Dakota Highway Patrol Capt. Bryan Niewind told The Forum on Thursday.
“The North Dakota Highway Patrol has not uncovered any evidence to support that claim that was made by Mr. Brandt,” Niewind said. “There is nothing to corroborate that.”
Brandt made the statements to law enforcement when he was allegedly intoxicated and after he struck a person, Niewind said. Suspects sometimes make statements to cover up what happened, the state trooper added.
“We are continuing to investigate this incident,” Niewind said.
According to reports the man’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit.
Who knows why he actually killed the teen, but the fact that he claims it was about politics just shows what an leftist idiot he is to think he could justify it by calling the victim a “Republican extremist”.