Minneapolis man sentenced to life in prison in domestic violence murder of Kesha Moore
A judge sentenced a Minneapolis man to life in prison on Thursday in connection with the domestic abuse-related murder of 43-year-old Kesha Moore in 2023.
Johnny Leroy Brown, 52, was convicted late last month of first-degree murder while committing domestic abuse with a past pattern of domestic abuse, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.
The first-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence, and Brown was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, according to court records.
Moore was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on Dec. 17, 2023, inside her south Minneapolis apartment. The criminal complaint states Brown first called 911 to report the shooting, saying Moore had pulled a gun on him during a fight and accidentally shot herself.
The complaint states Moore's cousin told police at the scene Brown had called them and confessed to the shooting. Police say Brown turned off his cell phone that day and bought a new one the next day. He was soon traced to north Minneapolis, where police arrested him — while out with a new girlfriend — during a traffic stop.
Brown later told police he and Moore had been arguing about his cheating. When he left the room to go get a drink and came back, Moore was pointing a gun at him, charges say. He claimed he went to grab the handgun from her, but the trigger was accidentally pulled. He told police he was drunk during the fight and didn't remember much.
Investigators determined Moore was shot by a 9 mm bullet and she was a registered owner of a 9 mm handgun, but officers never found the weapon. Police said her handgun required a trigger-pull force of at least 5 pounds, placing doubt on Brown's claim that it was an accident.
Brown has previously been convicted of illegal firearm possession after he fired a handgun round into the air during a fight with a former girlfriend.
At Brown's trial, five women who survived his abuse gave testimony, which Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says helped bolster her office's case against him.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
