by April Scheinoha
Reporter
On Tuesday, Aug. 15, Judge Corey Harbott withdrew his acceptance of an Alford plea in a Warren murder case. At the time he accepted the plea a little more than a month ago, Harbott was under the impression that the victim’s family had been notified. They are required to be notified under Minnesota law.
Anders Leland Odegaard, 32, had entered an Alford plea July 6 in Marshall County District Court to a felony charge of second degree murder – unintentional. In an Alford plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt, but the defendant admits that a jury would likely find the person guilty after being presented the evidence.
Odegaard has been 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’s next court appearance is set for Monday, Sept. 25, when the court is expected to review the results of a mental competency evaluation. He remains incarcerated at the Pennington County Jail on behalf of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.
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.
Carissa Odegaard, 31, 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.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, Harbott said he wouldn’t have accepted the Alford plea if he had known that Carissa Odegaard’s family hadn’t been notified of the Alford plea. Harbott also ordered a mental competency evaluation for Anders Odegaard. Marshall County Attorney Don Aandal had requested the evaluation.
Odegaard’s attorney, Greg Gudmundson with the Public Defender’s Office, said he has no doubt about his client’s competence; however, he said the evaluation may find some underlying mental health issues that may shed light on the situation and help with the ongoing negotiations between the defense and state. Gudmundson said his client was willing to cooperate with the competency evaluation.
Complaint
According to the complaint, Carissa Odegaard had arrived at her ex-husband’s home to pick up the children for church around 5 p.m. Aug. 23, 2022, 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 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.