Titonka man enters second-degree murder plea

GARNER — Ahead of a plea change hearing scheduled for later this month, a Titonka man accused of murdering a Ventura woman in Britt in March of last year has entered a written plea of guilty to second-degree murder.

58-year-old Monte Eckels was charged with first-degree murder after being accused of fatally stabbing Leallen Bergman while inside a residence at 275 4th Street Southeast in Britt on the night of March 4th 2023.

Eckels was originally ruled to be incompetent to stand trial in a ruling this past May, but a district court judge last month found that his competency had been restored through medical treatment and scheduled his murder trial to start on December 9th.

As we first reported to you earlier this month, Eckels’ lawyer filed a statement in Hancock County District Court that the parties had reached a plea agreement in the matter, with District Judge DeDra Schroeder setting a plea change hearing for October 29th.

In a plea agreement document filed on Monday, Eckels pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, a Class B forcible felony punishable by up to 50 years in prison. As per the agreement, Eckels would be sentenced to 50 years with a mandatory minimum of 70% having to be served prior to being eligible for parole.