On a summer night in Aurora, Colorado, the life of 33-year-old Carlis-Brandon LeSean Brabson was cut short. On June 23, 2020, Brabson was found shot to death in the parking lot of the Sable Cove Apartment complex. Initially, the circumstances surrounding his death were unclear, and the case was labeled as a 'suspicious death.' However, as investigators from the Aurora Police Department's Major Crimes Homicide Unit delved deeper, a narrative of conflict and violence began to emerge.
The
investigation pivoted on extensive security camera footage from the apartment complex. This footage revealed that earlier in the evening, Brabson had been trying to contact his ex-girlfriend, with whom he had a restraining order against him. He was attempting to get into her apartment, claiming he had left his cell phone inside, a claim she denied. The situation escalated when another man, 26-year-old Cameron Costello, became involved. Costello was seen on camera propping open the ex-girlfriend's apartment door and demanding she return Brabson's phone. His words, captured on the footage, were chillingly prophetic: 'Where's this man's phone? Give this man his phone, 'cause I'll kill him.'
Shortly after this confrontation, residents of the apartment complex reported hearing a single gunshot. Brabson was discovered in the parking lot, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Despite the initial belief by some witnesses that he may have taken his own life, no gun was found at the scene, and the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office later confirmed he had been shot in the back of the head. The security footage was instrumental in identifying Costello as the primary suspect. Detectives determined that only Costello and Brabson were visible in the footage at the time of the shooting, making it improbable for another person to have committed the act and escaped unseen.
Cameron Costello was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. When he was taken into custody, he was found in possession of the gun that was linked to Brabson's murder. On July 28, 2021, a jury found Costello guilty of first-degree murder. In September 2021, an Arapahoe County judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the sentencing, Brabson's family spoke of their profound loss, highlighting that he was a father of three daughters who would now have to grow up without him. His mother expressed her enduring pain, telling the judge that Costello had 'ripped my heart out forever.'
