On a summer evening in Springfield, Tennessee, the life of 45-year-old Heather Kirkwood was tragically cut short. On July 13, 2020, Kirkwood was in an outdoor smoking area at her workplace, Electrolux, when she was approached by her ex-boyfriend, 38-year-old Anthony T. Brown. Just days prior, Kirkwood had ended her two-to-three-year relationship with Brown and had moved her belongings out of the apartment they shared.
In the moments that followed their encounter in the company's parking lot, Brown fatally shot Kirkwood. The shots rang out at approximately 6:54 p.m., and when first responders from the Springfield Police Department, Robertson County EMS, and Springfield Fire Department arrived at the scene on Industrial Drive, they found Kirkwood with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Following the shooting, Brown fled the scene in a black Dodge Charger.
An immediate investigation was launched by the Springfield Police Department, and Anthony T. Brown was quickly identified as the suspect. A warrant for first-degree murder was issued for his arrest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed him on their most wanted list. After a five-day manhunt, Brown was apprehended by the Mt. Juliet Police during a traffic stop. He was then transported to the Robertson County Jail to face legal proceedings.
In September 2020, a Robertson County Grand Jury indicted Anthony T. Brown for the first-degree premeditated murder of Heather Kirkwood. His case went to trial in the Robertson County Circuit Court, where a jury found him guilty of the charge. Following his conviction, Anthony Terrell Brown was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. An appeal of his conviction was later denied, affirming the judgment of the trial court.
