In the early morning hours of July 11, 2017, the life of Michael P. Brown, a 55-year-old Black/African American male, came to a violent and tragic end in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin home. What began as a quiet night of watching movies with a female companion turned into a terrifying ordeal when two armed men burst into the bedroom. The intruders forced Brown and the woman to lie on their stomachs, demanding to know where the money was.
Despite Brown's repeated pleas that there was no money,
the assailants grew more aggressive. One of the men began to beat Brown, striking him with a gun while continuing to demand money. The woman present was also struck when she tried to get a look at the attackers. While one suspect ransacked the house, the other kept watch over the two victims. Brown was then ordered out of the bedroom to show them where valuables were located.
Roughly twenty minutes later, the woman heard one of the intruders order Brown to get on his knees, followed by the sound of a single gunshot. After waiting to ensure the assailants had left, she discovered Brown's body in the living room, suffering from a fatal gunshot wound to the head. She fled to a neighbor's house to call 911. Upon their departure, the suspects took two flat-screen televisions from the home.
An investigation led to the arrests of two men, 19-year-old Royce Bernard and 22-year-old Arnel Collins. The female witness was able to identify both men from a photo array, pointing to Bernard as the more aggressive of the two. Another witness later told investigators they overheard a conversation where Bernard told Collins he "was too quick to shoot," and Collins admitted to shooting Brown because he wasn't giving up money and drugs. Bernard was charged with felony murder, while Collins faced charges of first-degree intentional homicide and armed robbery. In September 2019, Royce Bernard was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the murder. Arnel Collins was scheduled to stand trial in October of that same year.
