In the small community of Powers Lake, North Dakota, a grim discovery brought a months-long mystery to a somber close. The body of 45-year-old male, Terry Larson, was found in March 2015, inside a locked camper on a property in the northwest area of the town. A Mountrail County Sheriff's Deputy, conducting a welfare check, uncovered the scene that would unravel a story of familial conflict turned tragic.
For nearly six months, Terry Larson's whereabouts had been a question, a void that was filled with a devastating answer.
The investigation into the death of Terry Larson soon focused on his own family, specifically his younger brother, Aaron Ray Larson. The trail led investigators to a Bismarck hospital where Aaron, then 40, was recovering from an alcohol-induced coma. It was there that the story of Terry's final moments began to surface. Aaron admitted to being in a fight with his brother inside the camper. He claimed that during the struggle, a gun was produced, and in the ensuing chaos, it discharged, striking Terry in the chest.
In the aftermath of the fatal altercation, a week passed before Aaron placed a lock on the camper, concealing the events that had transpired within. To their sister, he had explained Terry's absence by stating that his brother had left after their fight. This narrative held until the eventual discovery of Terry's remains. Following his confession to the police, Aaron Ray Larson was arrested by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Initially facing a charge of murder, Aaron Larson's case moved through the legal system. Ultimately, he reached a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of negligent homicide. In August 2016, he was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended, and was given credit for the time he had already served. The resolution of the case brought a close to the official investigation into the death of Terry Larson, leaving a family and a community to grapple with the sorrowful outcome of a dispute between two brothers.
