In the summer of 2015, a young man's life was abruptly cut short in an act of violence that would later be described as an assassination-style murder. On the afternoon of June 30, 19-year-old Keith Brown was walking with a friend in Rochester, New York. They had just left a convenience store at the corner of St. Paul and Norton Streets when the fatal encounter occurred.
Without warning, shots rang out from across the street.
A single bullet struck Keith Brown in the back of the head, ending his life. The Rochester Police Department responded to the scene and discovered a rifle and eight bullet casings, evidence of the calculated and deliberate nature of the attack. Through a combination of video footage from the area and the courageous testimony of eyewitnesses who came forward, investigators were able to identify their suspect.
The investigation led to the arrest of Jordan Evans, who was also 19 years old at the time of his sentencing. During a five-day jury trial, the prosecution presented the evidence they had meticulously gathered. In January 2017, the jury found Jordan Evans guilty of Murder in the Second Degree for the death of Keith Brown.
On February 28, 2017, a judge sentenced Evans to 23 years to life in the New York State Department of Corrections. Adding to his prison term, Evans was also sentenced for prior convictions of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second and Third Degrees, which stemmed from an incident in April 2015. The sentences for the weapons charges were to be served concurrently with each other but consecutively to the murder sentence, ensuring a lengthy period of incarceration for the young man who so senselessly took another's life.
