'None of it makes sense:' lack of evidence leads to controversial plea agreement in Anders Odegaard case

Jul. 17—MARSHALL COUNTY, Minn. — A Warren, Minnesota, man could be sentenced to about 18 years in prison for murdering his ex-wife — a sentence some consider too light of a punishment, but is actually heavier than similar cases in the past. The lead prosecutor wants people to understand why.

"I'm anxious for people to understand," Donald Aandal said. "This is a very troubling case."

An important factor in the sentence length is the state's inability to prove 32-year-old Anders Leland Odegaard meant to kill Carissa Odegaard, his ex-wife. The circumstances of the attack, and her subsequent death, remain largely unknown.

According to an affidavit in the case, Odegaard was arrested on Aug. 23, 2022, after law enforcement found Carissa Odegaard bleeding and unconscious. Anders Odegaard was charged with murder after she died.

On Thursday, July 6, Odegaard gave an Alford plea to second-degree unintentional murder, one of his two charges. He offered the plea — which maintains his innocence but acknowledges there's enough evidence to convict him — with the hope that he's granted a plea deal.

The prosecution and defense outlined a plea agreement which, if accepted by the judge, would sentence Odegaard to 18 years in prison — close to six years more than what's recommended in the state's sentencing guidelines.

In Minnesota, it's presumed inmates will serve two-thirds of their sentence before being released from prison, as long as they don't commit any additional disciplinary offenses while in custody. This means Odegaard could be in prison for about 12 years. He'd spend the remainder of his sentence on parole.

The sentencing is scheduled for August. If the plea agreement is denied, Odegaard can withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial.

Largely because children witnessed the crime, Odegaard's case received widespread attention; Aandal received calls from all around the country. Public concern has been renewed with the potential 18-year sentence, he said.

"I understand why people are upset," Aandal said. "... They have to understand that I'm constrained by the law, and the Constitution."

Odegaard was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder — one intentional and one unintentional. Throughout the case, no one has found proof of intent.

"You have to decide to do it," Aandal said. "... He didn't think about it before he did it."

Not much is known about the events leading up to Carissa Odegaard's death, Aandal said. That day, the children were at Odegaard's residence in Warren, when she texted that she wanted them back, Aandal said. Odegaard didn't answer; Carissa left East Grand Forks and drove to his residence in Warren.

In a victim impact statement, Carissa's sister wrote that Carissa told her she planned to go to Odegaard's residence that day "as an excuse to lay eyes on the kids, bring them food, and make sure they were all right."

"Other than that, we don't know," Aandal said. "... We don't have a real clear view of what happened during the assault."

Homicidal violence was determined to be her cause of death. She suffered an injury during the attack that killed her, but the coroner couldn't confirm what caused the injury.

"We just don't know, specifically, how the assault killed her," Aandal said.

Though two of the children said they saw Odegaard hit their mother with a weapon, none was identified.

"We really don't believe that happened, at this point," Aandal said. "... She didn't have anything to indicate that she was assaulted with any type of weapon."

One of the children told police their father hit Carissa Odegaard once before, according to the affidavit, but there's no further evidence that there was a history of physical violence, Aandal said.

"(Their divorce attorney said) she was not afraid of him," Aandal said. "There had been no history of domestic violence."

According to Carissa Odegaard's family and friends, she disclosed that Anders Odegaard was emotionally abusive and mentally unwell, but she never mentioned physical abuse.

However, she could have been experiencing physical abuse and didn't tell anyone, Aandal said.

"That's one of the problems with domestic abuse," Aandal said. "The victim is so controlled by the perpetrator that they don't get help when help is available."

One thing that is known: She kept notes on her interactions with Odegaard and the time he spent with their children. According to these notes, the children didn't want to be at their father's house; they would call her crying. The prosecution found indications that Odegaard was mean to his children and thought it was funny, Aandal said.

"They preferred to be with their mother," Aandal said. "That was pretty obvious."

Carissa Odegaard wrote that the children would be returned to her home with their needs unmet, though this hasn't been corroborated. She wrote Odegaard wouldn't adhere to planned pickup and drop-off times, and he'd be angry if he tried to drop the children off early and she wasn't home. She also mentioned that Odegaard would show up uninvited, demanding to take the kids.

Throughout Aandal's decades-long law career, he's seen similar behaviors in other divorced families.

"Non-custodial parents sometimes just take their parenting time because they want to make the other person mad," Aandal said.

With no evidence of domestic violence, criminal record or substance use, it's unclear what led Odegaard to attack his ex-wife, Aandal said.

"I think that's one of the things that's so troubling to people on this case," Aandal said. "None of it makes any sense."

Though Odegaard hasn't completed a psychological evaluation, Aandal suspects it would help explain what happened.

"I just don't think that anybody behaves like this without being mentally ill," Aandal said. "... Looking at him, you can see there's something wrong."

As Odegaard's case progressed, Aandal was surprised no one requested a psychiatric exam. He believes the defense counsel chose not to pursue it because they suspected Odegaard would be found competent to stand trial.

"But I think a psychiatric exam would have clarified what, exactly, we're dealing with," Aandal said.

Once Odegaard is sentenced, Aandal believes prison staff will address possible underlying mental health issues.

"I have been involved in cases, as an attorney, where people complete their sentence and go to immediate mental commitment," Aandal said. "... There's a chance he may never come out of custodial status. He may move directly from prison into a mental health facility."