A Bellevue man accused of killing his wife was in court again Tuesday afternoon. An emotional Brandon Norton appeared before a Sarpy County Judge, facing First Degree Murder.
In court, Norton's lawyer Christopher Lathrop said he wanted the charge to be lessened. "Based on the information I had, the most appropriate charge was manslaughter. The county attorney disagreed with me."
Brandon Norton was originally charged with second degree murder for the death of his estranged wife Jennifer Norton, but Sarpy County prosecutors said additional information obtained by investigators called for a charge of first-degree murder.
Norton turned himself in to authorities on June 5th saying he had murdered Jennifer. Bellevue Police say Brandon Norton told officers that he killed Jennifer during a domestic clash in their Bellevue home on the night of June 4th. He told them he then dropped her body into the Missouri River from the Highway 34 Bridge. Her body was found days later in the Missouri River near Plattsmouth.
Prosecutors say Norton's children were witnesses in the home where the crime allegedly occurred.
The defense called for a manslaughter but the prosecution argued that the time it takes to strangle someone gave Norton the time to realize what he was doing. He will remain in jail without bond.