Kolstad sentenced for 2022 murder

Cody Vernon Kolstad, 35, was sentenced Friday, May 2 to 300 months in prison for the intentional murder of Brian Daniel Stoeckel, 41, in Morristown on May 31, 2022.

On March 28, 2025, Kolstad pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree intentional murder. In exchange for pleading guilty, prosecutors dismissed a first-degree intentional murder charge.

In pleading guilty, Kolstad told the court that on the night of the murder he was high on drugs and “(Brian) started talking about how one of us had to die by midnight so I shot him.” Kolstad admitted to possessing a shotgun, pointing it at Stoeckel, pulling the trigger, and, in that moment, intending to cause the death of Stoeckel.

During Friday’s sentencing, the court heard from two of Stoeckel’s friends and Stoeckel’s sister, Amy Kraemer. Each provided a window into who Brian Stoeckel was as a person, and shared the impact the murder had on them, their families and the community.

“They say the brightest stars burn out the quickest,” said a tearful Kraemer. “Cody, you took our star. He didn’t burn...

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