Left: Cody Vernon Kolstad (Rice County Attorney’s Office). right: Brian Daniel Stoeckel (Obituary).
A Minnesota man will spend over two decades behind bars for murdering his roommate in an admitted haze of drug abuse and stress.
On March 28, Cody Vernon Kolstad, 35, entered a guilty plea for intentional murder in the second degree in relation to the slaying of Brian Daniel Stoeckel, 41, which occurred in May 2022, as stated in a press release by the Rice County Attorney’s Office.
Following the plea, 3rd Judicial District Court Judge Karie M. Anderson pronounced a 25-year prison sentence for Kolastad. The judge acknowledged the defendant’s approximately three years of pretrial detention as time served.
During an allocution, Kolstad relayed the grim events of the fatal night.
In a chilling confession, Kolstad claimed, “[Brian] started talking about how one of us had to die by midnight so I shot him,” revealing that under the influence of drugs, he took a shotgun, aimed it at Stoeckel, and pulled the trigger, leading to the fatal outcome.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
The judge offered a light touch when reproving the convicted killer, urging him to take classes during his years in lockup and using the rhetorical concept of apostrophe to appeal to Kolstad’s better angels.
“While you are taking responsibility, you can never make this family whole,” Anderson said. “You owe a duty to Brian to do better so that you will never be that same guy that committed murder. The expectation is to make better choices … show Brian you can do better.”
Also in attendance were Stoeckel’s friends and family. During an impact statement, the admonition came down a bit harsher.
“They say the brightest stars burn out the quickest,” Stoeckel’s sister said through tears, addressing the defendant directly. “Cody, you took our star. He didn’t burn out; you made that fire go out.”
The deceased man’s obituary remembers him fondly:
He leaves a huge hole in the hearts of his family and friends who were always entertained by his stories and interesting sense of humor. He truly brought the life to the party. No matter the circumstance, you’d always leave with a story of something funny or crazy Brian did or said when you were with him.
In line with Kolstad’s explanation, law enforcement arrived at the house on 2nd Street Southeast in Morristown — a tiny town some 60 miles south of Minneapolis — just after midnight on May 21, 2022.
Meeting with deputies, the defendant claimed the man inside was “badly injured,” according to court filings obtained by Bring Me The News, a journalist-owned news service based in the Twin Cities.
“He’s dead,” the defendant told 911 dispatchers, “Bring the coroner.”
When questioned, the defendant became more voluble.
“Put one in my head and burn me in that building,” Kolstad later told investigators, according to court documents obtained by Saint Paul-based ABC affiliate KSTP. “I took a life.”
Inside the residence, law enforcement found a hole in the wall and injuries consistent with Stoeckel being shot in the neck.
“Today an extraordinarily tragic and difficult case has reached its conclusion,” Rice County Attorney Brian Mortenson said in a statement. “While no plea agreement can ever undo the profound loss, today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions and, we hope, offers some measure of closure to the victim’s family, friends, and the community deeply affected by this crime.”
