by April Scheinoha
Reporter
A Warren man entered an Alford plea Thursday, July 6 in Marshall County District Court, acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict him of unintentionally killing his ex-wife during an assault.
Anders Leland Odegaard, 32, entered an Alford plea to a felony charge of second degree murder – unintentional. In an Alford plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt, but the defendant admits there is evidence that would substantially lead to a conviction.
As part of an upward departure, Odegaard will be spending more time in prison since a child was present at the time of the murder. Judge Corey Harbott ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Sentencing has been set for Tuesday, Aug. 15. Odegaard remains incarcerated at the Pennington County Jail on behalf of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
Odegaard was initially charged with felony second degree murder. That charge alleged he had caused Carissa Joy Odegaard’s death with the intent to kill her but without premeditation.
Anders Odegaard is accused of murdering his ex-wife, Carissa Odegaard, at his Warren home on Aug. 23, 2022. Deputies found Carissa Odegaard unresponsive with visible injuries consistent with an assault. She suffered severe head trauma, according to the complaint. A deputy rendered aid to her at the scene until a Warren Ambulance crew took over.
Carissa Odegaard, 32, was transported by ambulance to North Valley Health Center in Warren and then airlifted to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, N.D., where she was pronounced brain dead the following day. Life support was later removed, and her organs were donated.
The Odegaards had been scheduled to attend a family court hearing seven days after the murder. They had been divorced for nearly a year and shared five children.
According to the complaint, Carissa Odegaard had arrived at the home to pick up the children around 5 p.m. Aug. 23 when the incident occurred. All of the kids were at the home at the time. Three of the kids – ages 3, 8 and 9 – allegedly witnessed the assault.
They allegedly saw their dad on top of their mom, hitting her and choking her. The other two kids were waiting outside in Carissa Odegaard’s idling vehicle. The sheriff’s office learned that Carissa Odegaard was holding one of the children at the time that the assault occurred.
Upon receiving the 911 call, a sheriff’s deputy responded to the scene, where he was met by a man and two of the Odegaard children. The man said he called 911 after the children flagged him down, telling him to call 911 because their mom was bleeding heavily. The boy told the responding deputy that he thought his mom was dead. He told the deputy that his dad was inside the home with her. The boys remained outside the home with the 911 caller while the deputy entered Anders Odegaard’s home.
The deputy soon encountered Anders Odegaard, who was only clad in his underwear. The deputy noticed blood in Odegaard’s hair and blood smeared on his left eyebrow. The deputy asked Odegaard what was happening, but he only said he didn’t feel right. When asked where the injured woman was located, Odegaard allegedly wouldn’t answer. He was placed in handcuffs for the deputy’s safety. Later, Odegaard was asked whether he wanted to talk to deputies, but he would only say he didn’t feel right.
The deputy soon found an unresponsive Carissa Odegaard in an entryway. He administered CPR since she wasn’t breathing. She had suffered severe head trauma, and blood was pooling on the floor near her head. It is believed that the most violent part of the assault occurred where she was laying.
All five children were taken to the sheriff’s office. Forensic interviews were conducted with the three children who had been inside the home at the time. The sheriff’s office learned that Carissa Odegaard was holding her 3-year-old child when the assault started. One of the older boys was able to get his younger brother away from his parents and wash blood off of him. The boy said their dad didn’t want their mom to take the kids and that they were fighting over the youngest child. He indicated the fight started in the backyard and moved inside. He recalled they were tackling each other. Both he and his older brother reported seeing their dad hitting their mom. They referred to a knife or spatula being used to hit their mom. One boy recalled seeing a cut on his mom.
The older boy went back inside the home, where he saw his dad hitting his mom and yelling at her. His mom was on the floor, and blood was everywhere. Anders Odegaard allegedly told him to get out of the house. The boy then left to call 911. He said his dad had hit his mom in the past.
His younger brother also went to get help. After Anders Odegaard allegedly began choking her on the floor, his ex-wife told the boy to call 911. Stepping over his mom, the boy tapped her foot and went to get help. His mom didn’t respond.