Raymond Eugene Brown

Raymond Eugene Brown (January 11, 1946 – 2008) was an American serial killer and rapist who killed his live-in girlfriend and her daughter in 1987, shortly after being paroled for the murder of three relatives in 1960, when he was 14. He was sentenced to death for the latter murders, and died on death row in 2008.

Biography Raymond Eugene Brown was born on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Alabama, one of four boys born to Marvin and Emma Lou Brown. According to relatives and friends, he had a normal upbringing and happy childhood, regularly visited church and did not exhibit any worrying behavior. Brown attended the Clay County High School in his hometown, where he played for the junior varsity football team. He excelled in sports and was considered popular at school, with most acquaintances describing him in a positive manner.

Triple murder In the late evening of October 1, 1960, Brown broke into a home occupied by three of his relatives: 31-year-old aunt Berta Mae Martin, 63-year-old grandmother Ethel Ogle, and disabled 82-year-old great-grandmother Everlena Ogle via an unlocked back door, with the aim of stealing money to buy himself some cleats. He then mutilated the bodies, slashing their throats from ear to ear. The bodies were discovered early the next morning by Brown's mother, who immediately called the police. While investigating the crime scene, officers discovered multiple bloody heel prints that they believed belonged to the teenager. They interviewed a number of his classmates, friends and acquaintances, some of whom claimed that Brown had told them he intended to visit his aunt and had supposedly gone there after soccer practice. His fingerprints also matched those found at the crime scene. An elderly neighbor tasked with guarding the house, 64-year-old J. W. Hester, was overwhelmed by the mob and shoved aside. He called the authorities, who dispersed the crowd.

Prosecution, sentence, and release At the time, Alabama's criminal code allowed teenage defendants to be prosecuted as adults, and on October 10, the Clay County Prosecutor's Office and the district attorney met to decide how to proceed. Eventually, it was decided that Brown would be tried as an adult, and he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa. A few months later, he was deemed mentally competent to stand trial.

Due to the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, including witness testimony, material evidence and his own admissions, Brown was swiftly convicted. Rather than the death penalty, he was given three life sentences after the jury recommended mercy. He expressed no visible emotion during the sentencing phase.

During his incarceration, Brown studied to become an auto mechanic and participated in a number of inmate rehabilitation programs, for which he earned a reputation as a model prisoner. This led to his parole in 1973. He returned to Ashland, where he lived at his mother's house for some time. Soon after, Brown moved to Montgomery, where he found work at a local autoshop and rented an apartment. Upon his release, he returned to Montgomery and found work at another autoshop.

On the evening of August 9, 1987, Brown attacked LeMonte in their shared home, stabbing her multiple times in the vagina, rectum and chest before making a nine-inch incision on her throat. He then sliced open her abdomen, making a 27-inch incision from the lower neck to the right side of her pubis. He then went into the bedroom of her daughter, ten-year-old Sheila Smoke, and raped her, before stabbing her multiple times in the chest, throat, and abdomen, leaving the murder weapon inside her body. LeMonte's six-year-old son Aaron, who was also in the home at the time, was not harmed.

Brown took a picture of LeMonte's corpse with a Polaroid camera and attached the photograph to the TV screen, before scattering playing cards around the bodies and leaving a piece of paper with his victims' names and the word "me" written on them. When LeMonte failed to show up at work and her children at school, her parents went to her apartment, where they found the bodies and Aaron. During the preliminary investigation, police interviewed LeMonte's ex-husband, David, who told them that Brown was at the house when he brought Aaron over. On the basis of his testimony, in addition to evidence recovered from the crime scene, Brown was put on a wanted list.

Arrest After issuing an arrest warrant, police determined that prior to their discovery of the bodies, Brown had been involved in a traffic accident in Wallsboro, Elmore County. When traffic police arrived at the scene, he gave them his driver's license and described what had happened, declining medical attention. He then retrieved a bag of groceries and a fishing rod from the trunk of the car and proceeded to the nearby lake, after which his car was towed to the parking lot. He was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to death on May 13, 1988. After his conviction, he was transferred to the Holman Correctional Facility's death row to await execution.

Appeals and status Over the next few years, Brown and his attorneys filed a number of appeals in an effort to delay the execution date and to have the sentence overturned. In 1990, he appealed on the grounds that his initial trial had several procedural errors, insisting that there were irregularities in the jury selection process. Because of the pre-trial publicity and the public outcry that the case generated, 42 of the 66 potential jurors replied that they were aware to some extent of the crimes. Brown provided the court with 53 newspaper articles describing the murders and his past criminal record. However, the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office cross-appealed to the Supreme Court, which subsequently reversed the appellate court's decision and affirmed the death sentence. The appellate court later reinstated the decision and sent the case for further review.

At the follow-up trial, Brown was again found guilty on all counts and resentenced to death. In 1995, his attorneys filed another appeal, claiming that the court demonstrated racial and social bias and failed to provide compelling reasons for denying potential jurors. The circuit court determined that there was no factual evidence to these claims and promptly dismissed the appeal. Brown later attempted to appeal to the Supreme Court of Alabama, which upheld the appellate court's ruling.

In the late 1990s, Brown's attorneys filed yet another appeal, this time arguing that their client had been denied the constitutional right to participate in the jury selection process. They also claimed to have found other irregularities, including a juror who had provided false information. The appellate court found no factual basis for these claims and that they ultimately did not affect Brown's guilt. All of his subsequent appeals, ranging from ineffective counsel to the death penalty being cruel and unusual punishment, were also dismissed.

Brown died on death row in 2008.