The man convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting his girlfriend during a fight over cheating accusations was sentenced on Thursday, March 13.
Hennepin County Judge Carolina Lamas sentenced 52-year-old Johnny Leroy Brown to life in prison with credit for 451 days served on Thursday. Brown will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
He was also sentenced to 15 years after being convicted of illegally possessing a firearm. That sentence will be served concurrently with the life sentence. A claim for restitution has been filed by Moore's family for Brown to pay for her funeral expenses, a total of $8,363.90.
Brown Fatally Shot Moore Following Argument Over His Infidelity
Brown faced trial in February on several felony charges related to the December 2023 killing of 43-year-old Kesha Moore. Prosecutors allege the fatal shooting happened at an apartment in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis during a fight over Brown's infidelity.
A jury ultimately found Brown guilty of first-degree murder while committing domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse, second-degree murder with intent, second-degree murder without intent and being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm.
Brown Claimed Gun Went Off During Struggle with Moore as He Tried to Disarm Her
According to court records, on Dec. 17, 2023, Brown called 911 dispatch reporting a shooting inside an apartment.Officers responded to the apartment on the 4200 block of Sheridan Avenue South and forced their way into the unit where they found a woman, identified as Moore, with a single gunshot wound to her head.
After being taken into custody, Brown told investigators on the day of the shooting, they got into an argument because Moore thought he was cheating. As he went to fix himself a drink, he turned around and claimed she was pointing a gun at him.
He alleged he took the firearm away from Moore but claimed he must have bumped the trigger, causing the gun to go off. He took the firearm with him when he left the apartment and threw it out the window near the train tracks. Investigators searched the area but could not locate the weapon.
Family members told investigators Moore and Brown had been living together for the past several months, but their relationship "had been rocky," and she had asked him to move out. Charges also allege Brown called his "new girlfriend" after getting arrested, claiming he was never in a relationship with Moore.
