On September 30, 2020, just before 2 a.m., Aleisha Brown and her two younger siblings decided to contact 911.
Deputies from the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) arrived at the home, which they swiftly labeled a crime scene, a few minutes after receiving the call from the three youngsters, who were then ages 15, 14, and 9.
When detectives arrived on the site, they found blood on the floors and rugs, holes in the walls, and the body of a woman who had been dead for at least a few hours, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.
They soon recognized the female victim as 34-year-old Shawntae Brown, the mother of the three children who had called 911.
The OCSO stated in a news release at the time that there was sufficient evidence to arrest the victim’s spouse, Joshua Brown, 34, and charge him with domestic assault and abuse.
Investigators spoke with the children and discovered that all three witnessed their mother’s murder.
The victim’s then-14-year-old son informed authorities that his father had been assaulting his mother for two days with a shoe, a belt, a semiautomatic handgun, and even a flag pole, according to the probable cause affidavit.
“The victim’s body was covered in bruises, contusions, and lacerations consistent with a severe beating,” according to the testimony.
According to the complaint, after witnessing their mother die as a result of her injuries, the children claimed their father instructed them to clean up the blood and never tell anyone what happened to her.
Aleisha Brown, the couple’s oldest daughter, was 15 at the time.
She is now 20, and on Wednesday, Oct. 29, she appeared in an Oklahoma City courtroom for her father’s sentencing.
Aleisha was instrumental in the sentence of her father, who was spared the death penalty after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna stated that her agency carefully weighed the views of the three Brown children before providing Joshua the plea deal.
Joshua accepted the offer and agreed to plead guilty to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse for his crimes.
Following the hearing, the judge presiding over the proceedings sentenced Joshua to four life terms without the possibility of release. As part of the bargain, Joshua agreed not to appeal his sentence or the case.
Aleisha expressed her emotions outside the courthouse after delivering her own victim impact statement during the closed-door sentencing hearing.
“It’s been a long journey, and I’ve grown a lot since then,” she remarked, according to KWTV. “Obviously, I was a child, and now I’m a young adult, but it won’t get any easier. “Now that justice has been served and due process has been followed, I can finally relax.”
Aleisha also stated that not everyone agreed with the decision to save Joshua’s life before dealing with her own difficult connection with her father.
“We have a lot of good memories as well as bad memories with him,” Aleisha told me.
Joshua also reportedly testified at his sentence hearing, expressing his love for his three children.
“I know this outcome does not ease the pain her family has endured, but it ensures the defendant will never harm another person again,” Behenna told reporters. “We remain committed to seeking justice for victims and their families, even when the road is long and difficult.”
