Brian Neal Carlson, 22, of Stanton, pleaded guilty in 118th District Court to murdering Jerry Don McIntyre, 50, on or about last Thanksgiving.

Carlson was arrested on murder charges in December after leading law enforcement officials to McIntyre's body, which had been dumped in a field near FM 1208 in far west Martin County.

The two men had been acquaintances and McIntyre and Carlson had been living on the same property, officials said.

District Attorney Hardy L. Wilkerson said the 30-year sentence was agreed upon after much deliberation and negotiation.

“We knew the defense would try to push some mitigating factors ... including that this act was somehow provoked by the victim,” Wilkerson said. “We felt the top end of the sentencing was not going to come into play in this case ... and we felt we could live with this (sentence).”

Carlson, who had faced a maximum of 99 years or life in prison, must serve 15 years of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He was represented by Big Spring attorney Tim Yeats.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it