Brandon O’Neel — the man accused of shooting Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr. in the face in September 2022 — pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder on Tuesday, Sept. 2, just six days before his trial was set to begin in Walla Walla County Superior Court.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to elude police.
His other charges of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, threatening to bomb with intent to alarm, and harassment with threats to kill are expected to be dismissed at sentencing.
His trial, scheduled to begin Monday, Sept. 8, was canceled.
The plea deal means O’Neel will likely spend at least 20 years in prison. In court, his projected standard range was stated to be 187 to 249 months, or about 15½ to 20¾ years. A date for O’Neel’s sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Brandon O’Neel pleads guilty
Walla Walla County Prosecuting Attorney Gabe Acosta, center, talks with Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr. in the courtroom after Brandon O’Neel pleaded guilty to two charges in front of Judge Brandon L. Johnson at the Walla Walla County Courthouse.
He’s also facing a mandatory additional 60 months, or five years, for a firearm enhancement on his criminal charges.
O'Neel spent much of the hearing staring down at his table. He kept his responses to Judge Brandon L. Johnson's questions brief, often opting to say only yes or no.
More than 20 local law enforcement officers from several agencies were in the courtroom, including Atkinson.
After the hearing, Atkinson and Walla Walla County Prosecuting Attorney Gabe Acosta shook hands and had a brief conversation.
O’Neel, 40, shot Atkinson in the hand and face on Sept. 22, 2022, after O'Neel had been evicted from his Walla Walla apartment earlier that day.
His trial was scheduled to last multiple weeks. O’Neel was expected to present arguments of insanity and diminished capacity during his trial.
The case has seen several delays since 2022. In May 2023, Johnson deemed O’Neel to be incompetent to stand trial, and authorized treatment, including involuntary medication, at Eastern State Hospital to restore his competency.
This brought the case to a standstill for a year. His competency was deemed to be restored in May 2024.
In May 2025, the final delay came on the day the trial was set to begin.
Instead of the trial, a hearing occurred to determine whether O’Neel’s attorney, Julie Carlson Straube, would be allowed to argue insanity as his defense.
Brandon O’Neel pleads guilty
Washington State Patrol Trooper Dean Atkinson Jr. talks with an attorney in the courtroom after Brandon O’Neel pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder.
After ruling the defense could make that argument as well as diminished capacity, Johnson delayed the trial once more to allow Acosta more time to prepare for the argument.
O’Neel is accused of shooting Atkinson while the trooper was sitting in his vehicle on West Poplar Street in Walla Walla.
O’Neel had been evicted earlier that day. According to court documents, before the eviction, O’Neel had left a note in his apartment that threatened to “execute any cop or manager” sent to evict him.
After he was shot in the face and hand, Atkinson drove himself to Providence St. Mary Medical Center and was able to walk into the emergency room. He has since returned to duty with the Washington State Patrol.
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