Bradley Renfro's sentencing pushed to August

Renfro, Erick Almandinger, Dominic Johnson, and Austin Barrett have all been convicted for Grunwald’s death, but Almandinger and Renfro have yet to be fully sentenced.

Edie and Ben Grunwald have cycled through every court proceeding inviting their son’s murder since the beginning.

Both Almandinger and Renfro’s sentences have been delayed due to matters involving psychological evaluations and expert witnesses. Proceedings were further exacerbated by the pandemic.

“Here we are back on hold,” Edie said. “It’s almost like the story that never ends.”

Edie said that Renfro’s case was delayed because Barrett wanted to testify but he retracted his request after taking the advice of his attorney.

“It’s pretty aggravating for Ben and I,” Edie said.

“They could have addressed this several months ago.”

It’s been over five years since Grunwald was killed. Almandinger was 16 at the time of the murder, the same age as Grunwald. Almandinger is now 22 years old. Edie said that Almandinger and the group involved with her son’s murder denied him the chance to grow up at all.

“Where do his rights come in? They don’t,” Edie said.

Edie said it’s been a long and difficult process to go through. She said it’s difficult to predict how things will ultimately play out and when Almandinger and Renfro’s sentences will be finalized.

“At this point, there’s been so many twists and turns, I just really don’t know what to expect,” Edie said. “It was just a lot of unanswered questions.”

Edie said that she’s thankful for the continued outpouring of support they receive from the community.

“People are still hanging in there with us. We appreciate their prayers and positive words and encouragement. It’s very very helpful,” Edie said.

According to online court documents, Renfro’s sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 10, Aug. 11, and Aug. 12.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com