Johnny Leroy Brown, a 52-year-old Minnesota man, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Kesha Moore, following a heated argument over infidelity. Brown was convicted of first-degree murder, domestic abuse, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the 2023 shooting that claimed the life of the 43-year-old victim in her Minneapolis apartment.
Brown was arrested the day after the shooting when authorities tracked him to a car with his new girlfriend. While in custody, he repeatedly denied ever being in a relationship with Moore during phone calls to his new partner. Last month, a jury found him guilty on multiple charges, including second-degree unintentional murder during the commission of a felony.
At his sentencing hearing on Thursday, Brown was handed a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Given Minnesota’s average male life expectancy of just over 76 years, Brown is unlikely to be released. During the trial, Brown maintained his innocence, claiming Moore had pulled a gun on him and that the fatal shot was accidental. “You all don’t know what happened that Sunday.
I do. And I know she pulled a gun on me. And I tried to retreat. And I tried to get away from that,” he argued. Brown also alleged gender bias in the trial, criticizing the fact that the prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge were all women. However, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office highlighted that several survivors of Brown’s past domestic violence testified against him, some traveling long distances to do so.
In a victim impact statement, Moore’s sister, Kena Johnson, expressed relief that Brown could no longer harm anyone. “Her soul can rest now knowing that he can never hurt another woman again,” Johnson said. Court documents revealed that Brown and Moore had been in a two-year relationship and lived together before the shooting.
Brown claimed the argument began when Moore accused him of cheating, leading to a physical altercation. He alleged that Moore pointed a 9mm handgun at him, which he tried to wrestle away, accidentally firing the fatal shot. However, investigators disputed his account, noting that the gun required significant force to discharge and that blood evidence contradicted his claim of not touching Moore after the shooting.
The case has drawn attention to the devastating consequences of domestic violence, with Moore’s family and friends left to mourn her tragic loss. Brown’s sentencing marks the end of a harrowing chapter, but the pain of Moore’s absence remains deeply felt by those who knew her.
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