UPDATE SEPTEMBER 13, 2022:
A Milbank man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his brother, sister-in-law and their unborn child.
57 year-old Brent Monroe Hanson appeared in Grant County Circuit Court in Milbank this morning (Sept. 13, 2022) and pled guilty to three counts of First Degree Murder. The plea was part of an agreement with the prosecution to not seek the death penalty.
Circuit Court Judge Dawn Elshere accepted the plea deal, and said each count will run consecutively– meaning one after the other– with no chance for parole. Three alternate counts of Second Degree Murder were dismissed.
Brent Hanson, in an interview with police, admitted he, “snapped” when he hit his brother, Clyde Hanson, in the head with a baseball bat on December 12, 2021 at a residential property they both owned, but where they had separate living spaces.
Authorities say Clyde Hanson’s wife, Jessica Hanson, who was nine months pregnant at the time, returned home the following morning and was struck in the head with a machete.
The couple’s bodies were found three days later after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Court documents say Clyde Hanson’s body was found behind some sheetrock, and Jessica Hanson’s body was found under a tarp.
Brent Hanson had a scuffle with the couple six months before their deaths when he was arrested and charged with Misdemeanor Assault and Domestic Violence. He allegedly pushed the couple around after an argument over the care for Jessica Hanson’s dog.
Brent Hanson declined to speak during the sentencing.
(News partner Watertown Radio contributed to this story.)
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UPDATE JANUARY 5, 2022:
An August trial date has been set for a Milbank man charged with murdering his brother and pregnant sister-in-law.
57-year-old Brent Hanson appeared in court Tuesday (Jan. 4, 2022). He’s been indicted by a Grant County Grand Jury on three counts of First Degree Murder and three counts of Second Degree Murder.
The bodies of Clyde Hanson and Jessica Hanson were found in a Milbank home on December 15, 2021, after police were called there to conduct a welfare check at the residence.
Court appointed attorney Scott Bratland says Hanson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Judge Dawn Elshere set Hanson’s jury trial for August 11, 2022.
Hanson is being held in jail on $5 million cash-only bond.
Brent Hanson had a previous scuffle with the victims in July 2021 where he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence.
(News partner Watertown Radio contributed to this story.)
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UPDATE DECEMBER 17, 2021:
MILBANK, S.D. (AP) — A northeastern South Dakota man is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in connections with the deaths of a married couple and their unborn child. Authorities say 57-year-old Brent Hanson is accused of killing Clyde Hanson and Jessica Hanson, whose bodies were found in their Milbank home Wednesday morning. Milbank police say Jessica Hanson was pregnant. Brent and Clyde Hanson are brothers. The Aberdeen Daily News reports that Brent Hanson had a previous scuffle with the couple in July where he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence. Brent Hanson allegedly pushed around the couple after an argument over the care for Jessica Hanson’s dog. Few details about the killing have been released.
ORIGINAL STORY DECEMBER 16, 2021:
A 57 year old man from Milbank faces three First Degree Murder charges and three Second Degree Murder charges after an incident at a home in Milbank.
Information from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation says the Milbank Police Department was dispatched to a welfare check at a residence yesterday morning (Dec. 15, 2021). Simultaneous to the welfare check request, local law enforcement learned from a separate source that there may be two deceased individuals inside the residence.
Upon entry, officials discovered two deceased individuals with injuries consistent with homicidal violence. One of the victims was later determined to have been pregnant.
DCI Special Agents, in cooperation with the Milbank Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, began a comprehensive investigation, which led to the arrest of Brent Hanson. He is in custody at the Grant County Jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. The investigation is ongoing.
Brent Hanson booking photo.
Photo credit South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
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