–A plea deal has been reached in the murder case of a Britt man who was accused of stabbing a Ventura woman to death in March of 2023.
58-year-old Monte Eckels had been scheduled to stand trial in December on charges of 1st Degree Murder in connection with the death of 62-year-old Leallen Bergman. Bergman was stabbed to death at a residence on the southeast side of Britt during the early evening hours of March 4th, 2023.
Court documents filed this week in Hancock County District Court show that Eckels will forgo a trial, and instead plead guilty to a charge of 2nd Degree Murder, for which he will receive a 50-year prison sentence. By pleading to the 2nd Degree Murder charge, Eckels would be eligible for parole after 35 years behind bars.
Court proceedings in the case were delayed earlier this year when Eckels was found mentally incompetent to stand trial. After receiving treatment, a judge ruled that Eckels was once again mentally fit to stand trial last month.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation had identified Eckels as being from Britt, but records from the Iowa Department of Transportation showed him as having a Titonka address.
