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MONTICELLO — A Monument Valley man has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in his brother's stabbing death.
Rodale Nelson, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, reduced from a first-degree felony murder charge in the death of his brother, 32-year-old Rojaer Nelson Sr.
"My brother and I got drunk, really drunk," Rodale Nelson wrote in his plea. "The car got a flat tire. We got out to change it. We began to argue about the problem. Then we started to fight. I don't remember a lot because I was so drunk, but I know I stabbed him, and he died. I was reckless with the knife and I killed my brother."
I don't remember a lot because I was so drunk, but I know I stabbed him, and he died.
–Rodale Nelson
Rodale Nelson also pleaded guilty Monday to unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon and intoxication, both misdemeanors, as part of the plea deal. The manslaughter charge carries a potential sentence of one to 15 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 27 and prosecutors indicated in the filing they will ask for prison time.
According to police, Rojear Nelson's body was found Oct. 30 near a car parked on the shoulder of state Road 163, apparently dead from three stab wounds to his abdomen, according to charging documents. His brother, with blood still on his hands and scrapes on his knees, was picked up by a passing motorist about a mile away.
Investigators said Rodale Nelson voluntarily told them the car alongside the road belonged to him and that he and his brother Rojaer had been fighting.
Search and rescue personnel helped deputies sweep the area outside the crime scene and a knife was found near the spot where Rodale Nelson was picked up by the passing motorist, the charges state. Rodale Nelson later said the knife belonged to him, according to investigators.
At the time Rodale Nelson was booked into jail, his breath-alcohol content was measured at .06 percent, the charges state. He was also wearing an ankle monitor that was required as a condition of his release on bond in a pending felony case in Colorado, investigators said. His release prohibited him from drinking alcohol or possessing a weapon.
Utah court records show Rodale Nelson was extradited in August to Montezuma County, Colorado, where he is charged with felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon, vehicular eluding, DUI and other offenses. In Utah, Rodale Nelson has prior convictions for DUI and misdemeanor drug possession.
