Man sentenced to prison for murder of Dylan Rounds
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BRIGHAM CITY, Utah —- A 60-year-old man with a violent criminal history spanning forty years was sentenced Monday for the murder of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds.
District Judge Brandon Maynard sentenced Brenner to a minimum of three years and a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Brenner received a concurrent sentence of one to 15 years for second-degree murder and two consecutive sentences of two to fifteen years for possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
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Maynard stated he would recommend to the parole board that they “keep (Brenner) for as long as they legally can.”
James Brenner admitted to the murder of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds after leading law enforcement officers to the burial site as part of a plea agreement in May.
As part of the agreement, Brenner pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person. All other charges were dismissed.
Rounds disappeared from his farm in the desert town of Lucin, Utah, over Memorial Day weekend in 2022. The 19-year-old spoke with his grandmother on the phone before he vanished, and he was never heard from again. His family spent the past two years searching for answers.
Brenner’s defense attorney, Gregory Ferbrache, told the court that Brenner had asked him not to say much during the sentencing but reminded the court of the plea agreement, which stated that Brenner would receive a 3 to 30 year sentence with a requirement that Brenner show law enforcement Rounds’ burial site – which he did in early April.
“It was something that my client had asked me about from almost the first day that I was brought into this case,” said Ferbrache. “One of the issues that was continually brought up was that my client did want to bring Dylan home.”
When Maynard asked Brenner if he wanted to make a statement, Brenner declined. At one point, prosecutors asked Maynard to require Brenner to turn around and face the gallery, packed full of Rounds’ family and friends.
Brenner’s attorney asked Maynard if it was a request or an order. Maynard explained it was only a request, and Brenner declined to look at the gallery.
Rhonda Dequier, the founder of the Missing in America Network, spoke on Dylan’s behalf, stating that he was a young man with a bright future before being killed by Brenner.
“The brightness of Dylan’s dreams were brutally extinguished,” said Dequier.
Dequier also criticized law enforcement who were assigned to look for Rounds, saying they traumatized the family even further.
“Law enforcement not only failed to act with urgency the situation demanded, but they also compounded the families suffering by asking them to leave the property where Dylan was last seen,” said Dequier. “Right now, Dylan’s remains (are) being stored in a box on a shelf.”
Rounds’ father, Justin Rounds, then spoke, detailing the consequences of Brenner’s actions and pointing out that Brenner continues to show no remorse.
“I just want you to know what you took away – not just from me, or his mom, or his brother and sister. You took away someone who was willing to be active in society and contribute to society. As far as I can tell in your whole entire life, you’ve never contributed to society,” said Rounds. “You don’t have the balls to look anyone in the eye. Turn around and look at these other people you’ve affected.”
Dylan’s mother, Candice Cooley, wrote a letter to Maynard before sentencing and declined to read it aloud in court, saying that Brenner is an “evil man.”
“I think he’s an evil man and I think reading a victim impact statement would actually give him pleasure,” Cooley told EastIdahoNews.com. “My statement will stay private and be turned into the parole board.”
Maynard then spoke before pronouncing the sentence, seemingly insinuating he wished he could sentence Brenner to a harsher punishment than what was agreed to in the plea agreement.
“This is no a proper ending for someone like (Dylan),” said Maynard. “I wish I could do something more. I understand when this plea was offered and was taken it was with the consent of the family in an effort to bring closure. So there is nothing more I can do then what has been agreed upon.”