MINOT, ND (KXNET) — After a plea deal in the Daniel Breijo murder case was rejected by the court, attorneys are now asking the judge to reconsider accepting the deal.

In a joint letter, the state and defense are asking a judge to accept the agreed-upon plea deal for Breijo, the man charged in the 2023 Christmas Eve shooting that killed Master Sergeant Nicholas Van Pelt and seriously injured Van Pelt's girlfriend.

Earlier this fall, Judge Daniel El-Dweek rejected a plea deal that would've reduced Breijo's murder charge to manslaughter and given him a 20-year sentence. Now, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and Van Pelt's family are asking the judge to reconsider, calling his decision "unclear and unexpected."

They say the deal was crafted with the family's well-being in mind, to spare them

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