Man accused of shooting his brother found not guilty of homicide by Grant County jury

A man accused of shooting and killing his brother in February 2024 was found not guilty by a Grant County court jury.

According to the Cadem Law Group, Connor Grytdahl was declared not guilty of second-degree murder on Thursday.

Grytdahl was arrested over a year ago, stemming from a Feb. 18, 2024, incident involving his brother.

RELATED: Man charged with murder of brother after Sunday shooting in Grant County

According to court documents, Connor had called the Grant County Sheriff’s Office to report that his brother, Stephen Grytdahl, was violating his probation by drinking before 9:37 p.m.

The sheriff’s office reportedly confirmed Stephen had been drinking, but was unable to contact his probation officer. Stephen and his brother Connor agreed to separate for the night.

However, court documents said at 11:19 p.m., Connor called 911, stating he had shot his brother after Stephen went after him “aggressively.”

Despite Connor and first responders attempting CPR and life-saving measures, Stephen was declared dead by paramedics.

Connor was charged with second-degree murder after investigators believed his version of events did not match what they found inside the house.

Connor told investigators that after the initial 911 call around 9:30 p.m., he grabbed a handgun and loaded it, tucking it into his waistband.

Following the visit from sheriff’s deputies, Connor said he remained in the living room, while Stephan went back to his bedroom. However, after some time, Connor said Stephen came out of his bedroom, and an argument began.

Connor claimed there was pushing and shoving before he shot Stephen.

Connor said he fired his gun at Stephen across a hallway as he was attempting to go into his bedroom away from Stephen.

However, law enforcement said the shell casing for the bullet was not found in the hallway where Stephen said he fired his gun, stating they found it between the couch and the TV in the living room. Authorities also said the house showed no signs of a struggle having taken place.

Cadem Law Group, which represented Connor at trial, argued several mistakes were made during the investigation, including a compromised crime scene, the relocation of critical evidence from its original location and what they referred to as “overwhelming forensic evidence” which contradicted the prosecutor’s version of events.

“This was a travesty in every way—not just for this family, but in how law enforcement investigated and handled the case,” said Connor’s defense attorney, Christopher Cadem. “They investigated this to make our client a murderer, rather than to determine what actually happened.”

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