Rice County Man Accused of Killing Roommate With Shotgun
A grand jury today indicted a Rice County man on charges of 1st- and 2nd-degree murder after his roommate was found dead from a shotgun wound to the neck last month.
Cody Vernon Kolstad, 32, of Morristown, was charged June 1 with 2nd-degree murder for the shooting death of Brian Daniel Stoeckel, 41, on May 31, 2022.
After Kolstad called dispatch to report the shooting, admitting that he had pulled the trigger, sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home in Morristown and found him lying face down on the lawn.
Kolstad told the dispatcher “just come look,” "he's dead,” and to “please put the cuffs on me,” according to court documents.
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As deputies approached, Kolstad reportedly told them “I shot him in the head, dude,” that “it's in the head,” and “I'm going to jail/prison.” Kolstad was then placed into handcuffs.
Stoeckel was in his bedroom with an apparent gunshot wound to the neck. Kolstad told the deputies that he had been “taking lots of drugs” and was stressed out.
When interviewed by investigators, Kolstad said that the night before, “someone” had told him either he or Stoeckel needed to die by midnight, so he took a semi-automatic shotgun from an unlocked cabinet, went to Stoeckel’s bedroom and fired twice, according to the complaint.
One round is believed to have struck Stoeckel in the neck and the other damaged a nearby wall.
In Minnesota, 1st-degree intentional murder carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release.
Six witnesses appeared before the grand jury, including investigators from the Rice County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
According to court records, Kolstad was civilly committed in 2019 for six months, which was continued for another three months. The details on that commitment were not immediately available. He has past convictions for DWI and several drug possession convictions.
Kolstad is set to be arraigned on the charges Thursday.
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