Kelly Cody

Kelly Cody was a kind, funny, and caring 28-year-old mother who was remembered by her own mother as a beautiful soul, inside and out. A Black female from the Pittsburgh area, Kelly had a 6-year-old son who adored her. Her mother, Debra, recalled telling her every day on her way to school to “Be bold, be beautiful, be brave,” a mantra that seemed to define Kelly’s spirit. She was known for trying to help everyone and for seeing the good in people. A registered organ donor, she was described as a person whose kindness and bravery were admired by friends and family.

On the morning of January 21, 2021, Kelly had just gotten into the passenger seat of a friend’s car in Penn Alley in Stowe Township, Pennsylvania. Suddenly, a man pulled open the vehicle's door and began fighting with the male driver. The man, armed with a gun, started shooting into the car. Kelly was struck by a gunshot to the head, while the driver was not physically injured. First responders arrived just before 8:00 a.m. and transported Kelly to a local hospital in critical condition. She was pronounced dead later that day, just before 4:30 p.m.

The investigation quickly led Allegheny County Police to a suspect. Lauren Brown, a 29-year-old man who had been living with Kelly, was found in a nearby store shortly after the shooting. When officers approached, Brown refused to speak with them and then tried to flee, pushing past police and tossing a semi-automatic pistol under a dump truck. Officers used a Taser to stop and arrest him. At the time of his arrest, Brown was on parole for a prior offense.

Lauren Brown was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, and firearm violations. In March 2024, a jury found him guilty of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence, as well as two separate firearms counts. At his sentencing, Kelly’s mother told the court how Brown had taken advantage of her daughter’s kindness. “I know my daughter never wanted to be alone, and that he left her there haunts me nightly,” she said. On June 3, 2024, a judge sentenced Brown to serve 33 to 66 years in state prison.