The attorney for a Kenosha man suspected in the July 1990 murder of 18-year-old Berit Beck argues that trying his client a second time for her murder would be double jeopardy.
Craig Powell filed a motion in Fond du Lac County Court last Friday on behalf of his client, 63-year-old Dennis Brantner. Powell has asked Judge Gary Sharpe to acquit Brantner and block a second trial.
District Attorney Eric Toney says his office is requesting a second trial. A jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in Brantner’s murder trial in June and were dismissed. Toney says the judge never ruled it a mistrial, but could make a decision on that during a September 6th motion hearing.
Meanwhile Brantner is serving a 6 year, 7 month sentence for drug possession that stemmed from a search at the County Jail when he was booked for Beck’s murder.
KFIZ