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IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Candice Cooley does not plan to speak at the sentencing hearing of the man accused of killing her son.
James Brenner is scheduled to be sentenced July 1 in Box Elder County, after he pleaded guilty in May to one count of second-degree murder in connection to the death of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds. Brenner also pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person
"I think he's an evil man, and I think reading a victim impact statement would actually give him pleasure," Cooley tells EastIdahoNews.com. "My statement will stay private and be turned in to the parole board."
As part of a plea agreement, Brenner led authorities to Rounds' body in the desert town of Lucin, Utah, on April 9. The young man, who had recently moved to Utah from Idaho to farm, vanished over Memorial Day weekend in 2022. Brenner was squatting on property nearby when Rounds disappeared.
"It's a relief to have Dylan back. It was a nice Memorial weekend that will be forever changed but at least we didn't have to think that it's been two years and he was still out there," Cooley explains. "We got him back before that two-year mark. It would have been harder not having him back."
Cooley has been working with the Missing in America Network to help spread awareness about other missing people. They had a booth at CrimeCon in Nashville this month and Cooley has established Dylan's Legacy, a nonprofit that provides resources, guidance and emotional support to others affected by similar circumstances.
She is planning the second annual "sow a seed for Dylan" on Aug. 1, her son's 22nd birthday. People around the world are encouraged to plant seeds in Rounds' honor.
"We're not looking backwards. We are looking forward to helping families. It's a new chapter – not a closed book, but a new chapter," Cooley says.
