REXBURG — A four-year investigation into the 2021 murder of Ralph Brian has resulted in the arrest of two suspects alleged to have participated in the killing.
Madison County Sheriff Ron Ball held a press conference Wednesday morning where he announced that Ryler Jensen, 28, and Anthony Dean Wilson, 33, had both been charged with conspiracy to murder in the first degree and murder in the first degree for Brian’s death.
A grand jury indicted Wilson and Jensen Friday.
“This development marks a significant development in a years-long investigation underscoring the Madison County Sheriff office’s ongoing commitment to justice in the perseverance in complex cases,” Ball said.
Both Jensen and Wilson have significant criminal histories, and both are serving time in jail for various offenses. Wilson allegedly tried to kill a Teton County judge in May. Jenson was charged with felony trafficking in methamphetamine or amphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia in July 2024.
Initially, officers arrested Pierre Lake, who later confessed to killing Ralph Brian and stabbing Karen Brian in September 2021. Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce sentenced Lake to 30 years to life for Ralph Brian’s murder and 15 years for stabbing Brian’s wife Karen last year. The sentences were scheduled to run concurrently.
Ball reported that investigators always believed Lake had help with the attack on the Brians.
“This is why we’re here today (Wednesday) to announce the arrest of two individuals,” he said.
Lake, Jensen and Wilson all knew each other, Ball said.
“They were friends,” Ball said. “They hung around each other quite a bit. They were involved in some illegal activity.”
While the three men knew each other, none of them had any kind of a relationship with the Brian family, he said.
“The Brians were totally innocent victims of this,” Ball said.
He declined to say why Lake targeted the Brians’ home.
“That’s one of those questions I’m not going to be able to answer yet,” Ball said. “It will come out. I don’t want to jump ahead and start giving information from the grand jury before it goes to trial.”
The attack on the Brians also included the theft of a gun, used to shoot Ralph Brian in the back of the head, and a knife used to stab Karen Brian.
When asked if the perpetrators of the attack knew there was a gun in the Brians’ home or if it was a random attack, Ball declined to state specifics.
“I’m going to hold off on that part,” he said.
The sheriff’s office received new information concerning the attack on the Brians’ case in 2023.
“Madison detectives and multiple regional agencies initiated a renewal into a comprehensive inquiry,” Ball said. “Over the course of this multi-year effort, investigators conducted hundreds of hours of interviews and executed multiple search warrants.”
When asked why it took so long to gather enough evidence against the two new suspects, Ball said Lake hindered the investigation.
“Having interviewed Pierre when he confessed, Pierre refused to give any information about anyone who maybe helped him,” Ball said. “That made it difficult.”
The new information was a result of receiving tips and by “really outstanding detective work by detectives involved,” he said.
Following his arrest, Lake admitted to breaking into the Brians’ home inside the Rexburg Boathouse Trailer Court during the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2021 where he stabbed Karen Brian in the face and the arm. Lake and Ralph Brian moved outside where Lake shot Ralph Brian in the back of the head with Ralph Brian’s own gun. A neighbor reported seeing Karen Brian covered in blood. Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center workers treated the couple, and Ralph Brian remained hospitalized at EIRMC until his death three weeks later. Karen Brian survived the attack.
Ball said Rexburg and Madison County are still safe communities to live in.
“Like other places, there are incidents of violence,” he said. “I don’t think people should go out and worry about what’s going to happen to them. Take precautions by locking your doors and windows. This whole area is a great place to live. “
As the community grows, certain crimes tend to increase, Ball said.
“It’s our priority to prevent these things,” he said. “When an incident does happen like this, we never give up.”
Ball thanked the community for its help in stepping forward with the new information.
“Your courage and cooperation were instrumental in advancing this investigation in bringing us to where we are today,” he said.
Wilson and Jensen are each being held on $1 million bond. They are expected to go before a jury eventually. Should they be found guilty they could be sentenced to life in prison.
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