BRIGHAM CITY, Utah – The man who killed 19-year-old Dylan Rounds was sentenced Monday in 1st District Court.

As part of a plea agreement, Judge Brandon J. Maynard sentenced James Brenner to between one and 15 years in prison for each of the three counts to which he pleaded guilty.

He admitted to killing Dylan Rounds in 2022. However, the charge against him was reduced from aggravated first-degree murder to premeditated second-degree murder.

Brenner will spend at least three years in prison for Rounds' murder. The judge asked the parole board to keep Brenner in prison as long as the law allows.

And he told the court he wished he could have done more.

“I wish I could do more,” Maynard said. “However, I understand that this deal was offered with the consent of the family in order to achieve closure.”

“So there’s nothing more I can do.”

Dylan Rounds was missing for years

Dylan Rounds was 19 when his family reported him missing to the Box Elder County Sheriff two years ago. He lived in Lucin, Utah, a small town on the Nevada border.

At the time, his family told East Idaho News that Rounds encountered a barefoot man on a gravel road. The man allegedly asked Rounds for a ride and if he could use Rounds' cellphone.

In March 2023, authorities in North Dakota charged Brenner with Rounds' murder.

But just a few months ago, Brenner showed police where he left Rounds' body after killing him.

Rounds' father, Justin Rounds, spoke emotionally at the verdict on Monday.

“I wouldn't let you come in here limping like a little cripple and walk out without anybody saying anything to you,” Justin Rounds said. “You don't have the guts to look anybody in the eye or even look at anybody. Turn around and look at the people you've influenced.”

There was a moment in court on Monday when the judge asked Brenner to stand and face the gallery where Rounds' family was sitting.

Brenner did not comply with the judge’s request.

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