In the spring of 2019, a knock on the door of her Oklahoma City apartment marked the final moments of 38-year-old Brandi Alden's life. On the evening of May 9th, she was at her home in the MacArthur Park Apartments when the encounter turned fatal. Brandi, a mother of five, was shot and though she was rushed to OU Medical Center, she succumbed to her injuries.
In her last words, she managed to name the man who had shot her, a final act that would set the wheels of justice in motion.
The man she identified was 27-year-old Dylan Wade Schwenk. Witnesses at the scene later recounted that Schwenk had come to the apartment demanding something from Brandi. They reported hearing her plead with him, calling his name and begging him to stop just before the fatal shot was fired. This personal cry for him to cease his attack underscored the tragic nature of the event, transforming a violent crime into a personal betrayal.
The investigation into Brandi's death moved swiftly, thanks in large part to her own identification of her alleged killer. Within a day, police located and arrested Dylan Wade Schwenk after a brief foot chase. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. As details of their connection emerged, it was revealed that Brandi had previously extended kindness to Schwenk, offering him food and a place to stay when he was in need. This act of compassion made the circumstances of her death all the more poignant for her grieving family and friends, who remembered her as a kind-hearted individual who was always willing to lend a helping hand.
