This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A San Juan County man admitted Monday to killing his brother last year during a drunken argument over how to change a flat tire.
Rodale Nelson, 31, pleaded guilty in 7th District Court to second-degree felony manslaughter in the Oct. 30 stabbing death of his brother, 32-year-old Rojaer Nelson. The defendant also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon and intoxication.
He was initially charged with first-degree felony murder.
"My brother and I got drunk — really drunk," Rodale Nelson wrote in a plea document. "The car got a flat tire — we got out to change it. We began to argue about the problem. Then we started to fight.
"I don't remember a lot because I was so drunk, but I know I stabbed him — and he died.
"I was reckless with the knife and I killed my brother."
Rodale Nelson faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced June 27 by Judge Lyle Anderson.
According to charging documents, Rojaer Nelson was found lying on State Road 163, about seven miles west of Bluff, with three stab wounds to his abdomen. San Juan County sheriff's deputies, the Utah Highway Patrol and paramedics found the victim after receiving a 911 call from a passing motorist.
Rodear Nelson was found walking about a mile from the scene, the sheriff's office has said.