Sentencing delayed for mother murderer

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 8, 2026

A sentencing hearing for a Freeland man who killed his mother in 2023 has been delayed.

Justin Wiener pleaded guilty last month to murder in the first degree in the death of 53-year-old Brenda Wiener. He was scheduled to be sentenced on May 6, but the defense attorney was out sick, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The hearing hasn’t been rescheduled yet. Family members are expected to speak at the hearing.

As part of the plea bargain, both the prosecution and defense will recommend a sentence of 20 years in prison, which is the low end of the standard sentencing range.

Wiener, who originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, lived with his mother in a trailer parked in Freeland while his father lived in a tent on the property, according to court documents. Reports by forensic psychologists indicate that Wiener’s mental health deteriorated in the years and months before the murder and that he repeatedly sought help for mental health concerns and perceived medical problems.

According to police reports, Wiener tried to break his mother’s neck and strangle her before stabbing her and finally cutting her throat. He said he initially planned to kill himself but instead walked to nearby Nichol Brothers Boat Builders in bloody clothing and said he wanted to report a crime he committed.

After deputies responded to the scene, Wiener told them that he had killed his mother. His mother was found inside the trailer.

A psychologist’s report described several reasons that Wiener offered for killing his mother. He said he felt she was poisoning his water bottles and his marijuana, although the police had the water tested and it was clean. He also said he wanted to end her suffering from cancer, felt she wanted to die and that he tried to give her a painless death.