close
close

The Williston man who slit a teen’s throat sees his attempted murder charge reduced to a misdemeanor.

The Williston man who slit a teen’s throat sees his attempted murder charge reduced to a misdemeanor.

WILLISTON, N.D. (KUMV) – An attempted murder trial in Williston ended abruptly Wednesday after a plea deal was reached.

Casey Heller was accused of slashing a 15-year-old boy’s throat and his father’s hand while driving home from a bar. The plea deal reduced the attempted murder charge to a misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

The agreement was reached following a motion to dismiss the case after Heller’s attorneys learned that the victim-witness coordinator was closely associated with the case, creating a conflict of interest.

The statement said Stephanie Vagts is the mother of the teen’s girlfriend and gave the teen’s father a ride to Minot where he was recovering from his injuries. Heller’s attorney, Jesse Walstad, argues that this information was not disclosed to the defense and was disclosed during the trial.

The summary states: “A prosecutor who has a close personal relationship with both alleged victims has the potential to be biased in favor of the victim and her family, which could jeopardize the fairness of the prosecution.”

Walstad claims Williams County State’s Attorney Jaakan Williams knew about this and tried to transfer the case to Ward County back in 2022, but was denied.

Heller avoids jail time as part of the agreement and will serve three years of probation. He will also have to pay $575 in court costs.

We reached out to Walstad and Williams for comment but have not yet heard back.

The plea deal reduced the attempted murder charge to a misdemeanor reckless endangerment.