Former North Dakota prosecutor pleads guilty to murdering ex-wife during custody swap – InForum

WARREN, Minnesota — A former North Dakota prosecutor and attorney pleaded guilty Thursday, July 6, to the murder of his ex-wife.

The attack happened in front of her children during a child exchange last August.

Anders Odegaard, 32, filed a plea deal in Alford on second-degree murder. An Alford plea means he doesn’t admit to murdering his wife, but there is enough evidence to convict.

The plea deal sees him serve 18 years in prison, about six years more than the recommended sentence under Minnesota criminal codes.

Last year, Anders Odegaard, who once served as a Mercer County prosecutor and a Stark County public defender, beat his 31-year-old ex-wife Carissa to death at his home in Warren, according to police.

It happened during a child exchange so Carissa Odegaard could take the couple’s five children to church.

At the time of the attack, Carissa Odegaard was holding her three-year-old son.

Another son ran and stopped a passing car to call 911.

Anders Odegaard will be officially sentenced in August.

Matt Henson is an Emmy-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Before joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main presenter at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years. Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, he attended Lyndon State College in northern Vermont, where he received two national awards, including first prize, for his television production from the National Academy for Arts and Science. Matt enjoys being the little guy’s voice. His focus is on crime, court cases and investigative stories. Just as often he tells tearful stories and success stories. Matt enjoys traveling to small towns in North Dakota and Minnesota to tell their stories. He can be reached at mhenson@wday.com and at 610-639-9215. When not at work (rarely), Matt resides in Moorhead and enjoys spending time with his daughter, playing golf and attending Bison and Sioux games.