Woman sentenced following guilty plea of third-degree murder

A Worthington woman was sentenced last week in Nobles County Fifth District Court after previously entering a guilty plea to third-degree murder-sale of a controlled substance.

The charge against Pranom Souvannarath, 43, of Worthington, stemmed from the April 8, 2024 death of Brittany Anne Lais, 22, of Fulda.

A search warrant had been issued in May 2024 for both Lais's and Souvannarath’s phones, which showed numerous messages regarding the sale of controlled substances. A prosecutor later spoke with a doctor of clinical toxicology, and it was determined that Lais's death would not have happened if they had not ingested methamphetamine. Souvannarath was arrested on Sept. 16, 2024.

Souvannarath was sentenced pursuant to state guidelines to 104 months' imprisonment.

Said a press release from Nobles County Attorney Braden Hoefert: "The Nobles County Attorney's Office wishes to thank the members of Lais’s family for their eloquent and moving victim impact statements which were read at sentencing, and to once again express our deepest condolences for their loss. The Nobles County Attorney’s Office also wishes to thank those involved in the investigation, including the Fulda Police Department, the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office, and the Worthington Police Department.

"In partnering with local law enforcement agencies, the Nobles County Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously prosecute all individuals engaged in the illegal sale of narcotics, such as methamphetamine, in Nobles County."