Man Who Pleaded Guilty to Dylan Rounds' Murder Sentenced to Murder, Gun Charges

BRIGHAM CITY — James Brenner, who pleaded guilty in May to the murder of Dylan Rounds, was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison for the killing.

But Judge Brandon Maynard told Brenner that he would recommend to parole board officials when the time comes for your parole hearing “to keep you as long as possible.”

Brenner, 60, appearing in Brigham City 1st District Court for sentencing Monday, was also sentenced to two terms of one to 15 years in prison in a separate case for two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, to be served consecutively to the sentence in the murder case.

Brenner was living on Dylan Rounds’ property in Lucin, Box Elder County, when Dylan, who farmed in the area, disappeared on May 28, 2022. As part of a plea deal that reduced the key charge he faced in the case from aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, to murder, a second-degree felony, Brenner agreed to disclose the location of Rounds’ remains, which were found in the Lucin area on April 9.

Rounds' father, Justin Rounds, spoke at the sentencing, noting the help his son had given Brenner on several occasions. Brenner, who is being held at the Weber County Jail, according to court documents, appeared at the hearing wearing an orange and white jumpsuit.

“Dylan has helped you so many times…and this is how you repay him,” Justin Rounds said. “I just hope you think about that for the rest of your life.”

Brenner did not speak in court and did not provide any additional information about what happened that led to Dylan Rounds’ death. When Maynard asked Brenner if he would stand and face Rounds’ family and other friends and supporters gathered in the courtroom, he declined. As Justin Rounds put it, Brenner tried to “blame it on circumstances or other things.”

Rhonda Dequier of the Missing in America Network, who worked with the Rounds family after Dylan Rounds’ death, also spoke at the sentencing, paying tribute to the young man, who was 19 when he was killed. Dylan Rounds had paid Brenner to work on his farm, she said, and had even shared meals with him on occasion.

“He was a dreamer, a builder, a visionary,” she said. “His spirit was as alive and enduring as the sunflowers he loved.”

Dequier also criticized law enforcement's slow initial response to Dylan Rounds' disappearance and Brenner's lack of empathy for Rounds' family, a sentiment echoed by Justin Rounds. “No empathy for them at any point. That's who this man really is,” Dequier said, accusing Brenner of being motivated solely by “self-preservation.”

Candice Cooley, Dylan Rounds' mother, did not speak at the sentencing but spoke to the media afterward. “As I've said before, it's not enough time,” she said.

Still, she was encouraged by Maynard's statement that he would recommend to parole board officials that Brenner serve the maximum possible sentence. “I don't think Brenner will ever get out of prison,” she said.

Cooley, who lives in Twin Falls, Idaho, wonders how big his son's farm could have become.

“I just can't imagine what it would have been like two years later after everything he had already built there,” she said.

She said she has been busy advocating for missing persons rights following the disappearance and death of her son, who was from eastern Idaho. “We have so much to do,” she said.

She is working with Idaho lawmakers to craft state legislation, though she has not specified the nature of her efforts. She is also involved in other missing-persons efforts around the country.