Charles Lawrence Brown, known to his friends as Charlie, was 53 years old when he died on Monday, September 17, 2007, at a convalescent home, almost exactly a year after he was attacked in North Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died after sustaining blunt force trauma at 6065 Lankershim Boulevard. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a Los Angeles Police Department case handled by the North Hollywood Division. The Daily News reported his death as September 15, at age 54.
According to the Los Angeles Times Homicide Report, Brown was injured on Monday, September 25, 2006, between about 9:30 p.m. and 10:20 p.m., while he was out walking a dog. Afterward he was "in and out of consciousness, up and down," for months on end, Det. Rich Wheeler of the North Hollywood station told the Times, and the assault case became a homicide investigation.
The Daily News added more. Brown had just gotten home from managing a North Hollywood liquor store and was walking his disabled roommate's dog, Morgan, an 11-year-old golden retriever. Someone confronted him "for unknown reasons" and the two got into a fight, Detective Steve Castro said. "A witness saw the man slam Brown's head into the sidewalk twice before disappearing," the paper reported. A passer-by found him on the sidewalk in the 6000 block of Lankershim and called 911. Police described the attacker as possibly a white man in his late 20s, and said they had no suspects.
Brown was born in Michigan and grew up on Chicago's South Side, a devoted boxing fan who fought in the late 1970s and early 1980s under the name The Mighty Michigan Mauler. He was an Army veteran, married and divorced twice, and had no children. His brother, Loren Brown, said Charlie was "a free-spirit kind of guy." Loren and Charlie's friends spent months posting fliers in the neighborhood. "Somebody came up from behind and whacked him," Loren said. "I do not believe one person would have subdued Charlie. He was a fighter." His friend Steve DeLeon flew in from Chicago for the funeral. "Me and Charlie Brown have been friends since 1975," he said.
Lankershim Boulevard is one of North Hollywood's oldest and busiest streets, running through the heart of the community in the eastern San Fernando Valley. Its blocks mix shops, restaurants, apartment buildings and older homes, and on a weeknight evening there would have been traffic and people on foot. The witness account shows that at least one person saw the attack, and others may have seen a man leaving the area.
Homicides in Los Angeles fell steeply in the late 2000s and early 2010s, yet many killings from those years were never solved. Even with a witness and a family pushing for answers, the case went unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Charles Lawrence Brown could be found in news archives or public records. More than 18 years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on Lankershim Boulevard on the night of September 25, 2006, or who knew Charlie, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
