In the autumn of 2019, the life of 22-year-old Serdarin Brown was tragically cut short in Clarksville, Tennessee. On the night of Sunday, October 27th, police responded to reports of gunfire near Hand Village Avenue. By the time officers arrived, Brown had already been taken to Tennova Healthcare by car, where he was pronounced deceased. The initial investigation discovered spent shell casings in a parking lot near the campus of Austin Peay State University.
Investigators soon determined
that Brown had been involved in a drug transaction at the time of his death. According to a witness, Brown had arranged to sell a small quantity of marijuana. When he arrived at the location, two individuals from Memphis, who were in Clarksville visiting friends, approached his vehicle. One of the individuals, a 17-year-old juvenile, allegedly pulled out a handgun at the driver's door and demanded Brown's belongings. The other individual, identified as Joshua Watkins, reportedly opened the passenger door and began searching through the car. At some point during this encounter, Serdarin Brown was shot.
The investigation quickly led Clarksville Police to identify Watkins and the juvenile as suspects. They were located at an apartment complex on Nolen Road and taken into custody without incident. Joshua Watkins was charged with criminal homicide and booked into the Montgomery County Jail, where he was held without bond. The 17-year-old was also charged with criminal homicide and transported to a juvenile detention facility.
Years later, the case saw a new development. In October 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service announced the arrest of a third suspect, Turnity Rossell, in Memphis. A warrant for Rossell's arrest had been issued in June of that year for first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in connection with Brown's death. After receiving information that Rossell was in the Memphis area, the U.S. Marshals, with assistance from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and Memphis Police, located and apprehended him at a residence. Rossell was then taken to the Shelby County Detention Center.
