A Minnesota man who killed his girlfriend after she accused him of cheating, then allegedly called his new girlfriend from jail to deny ever dating the victim, could face life in prison.
Johnny Leroy Brown, 52, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for shooting and killing Kesha Moore in 2023. As Law&Crime previously reported, Brown was charged with multiple counts of murder after Moore, his girlfriend at the time, was shot to death in their Minneapolis apartment.
The next day, police found Brown in a car with his new girlfriend, and he was arrested — during which time he reportedly called his new girlfriend and denied ever being in a relationship with Moore.
Brown was convicted in February of first-degree murder while committing domestic violence with a history of abuse, as well as one count of second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony and unlawful possession of a firearm. On Thursday, he was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
According to local NBC affiliate KARE, Brown maintained his innocence, claiming that Moore had drawn the gun on him and that she was shot after he “accidentally bumped the trigger,” resulting in Moore being shot in the head.
“You all don’t know what happened that Sunday,” he told them. “I do. I know she pulled a gun on me. And I attempted a retreat. And I tried to get away from it.
Brown also reportedly objected to the trial itself, claiming that he was the victim of gender discrimination because the prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge were all female.
According to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, “numerous women — survivors of Mr. Brown’s past domestic violence — assisted the prosecution of Mr. Brown, with some traveling great distances to testify in court.”
Moore’s sister, Kena Johnson, wrote in an impact statement that Moore’s “soul can rest now knowing that he can never hurt another woman again.”
According to the probable cause affidavit, Brown told police when he was arrested that he and Moore had been dating for about two years and had been living in her apartment for several months prior to the shooting.
Brown reportedly admitted on Sunday that he and Moore had a heated argument because Moore believed Brown was cheating on her. During the argument, Brown claimed Moore shoved her finger in his face.
According to the affidavit, Brown claimed he went to make himself a drink when Moore pulled out a 9 mm handgun, which police said was registered to her, and pointed it at him.
Brown claimed he tried to wrestle the gun away from Moore, but accidentally hit the trigger, resulting in the fatal shot.
According to the Star Tribune, investigators questioned Moore’s claim because his weapon, a Luger EC9s, has a trigger that requires more than five pounds of force to pull.
Investigators also stated that Brown claimed he did not touch Moore’s body after she was shot, which they believe is contradicted by large smears of blood surrounding her body.
