Vanessa Miller, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa –
UPDATE: A 27-year-old Illinois man suspected of first-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting in Iowa City in June waived extradition Wednesday morning in an Illinois courtroom after being arrested in Cook County on Tuesday night.
That means Brandon Brown is awaiting transportation to Johnson County, where he will be prosecuted in the shooting death of Donelle Derrel Lindsey, 30, of Iowa City.
Brown, of Lansing, Ill., was arrested about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home in South Holland, Ill., that was owned by one of his close friends, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. Officers had tracked him there after receiving a tip that Brown was in the area, according to Cook County sheriff’s spokeswoman Eleni Demertzis.
Investigators identified Brown through a basement window, sitting on a coach, watching TV, according to Demertzis. When officers entered the home, Brown “produced himself,” and he was taken into custody without incident, Demertzis said.
He appeared for an extradition hearing Wednesday morning, where he agreed to be transferred to Johnson County to face charges in connection with the Iowa City killing.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Brown has 11 previous arrests, dating from December 2002 to September 2009, all in Harvey, Ill. The charges include multiple domestic batteries, assaults, fleeing police and drug charges.
Investigators with the Iowa City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traveled to Illinois after the arrest Tuesday night to try and talk to Brown, according to Iowa City police Sgt. Denise Brotherton.
Details of what they learned and whether they searched his home and found any evidence have not been made public.
Brown’s first-degree murder warrant came with a $1 million cash-only bond after authorities said he fled the scene of the crime in west Iowa City and left the state to avoid apprehension.
Witnesses told investigators that Brown asked Lindsey to walk down the street with him at 11:26 p.m. June 21, and the witnesses said they saw the men start to argue, according to Iowa City police. Brown produced a handgun and shot Lindsey multiple times at a relatively close range, witnesses told investigators, according to police.
Emergency personnel were called to 2437 Petsel Place, and they rushed Lindsey to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he was pronounced dead. Brown was last seen running from the area, according to police.
One of the witnesses is an acquaintance of Brown, and other witnesses positively identified Brown as the shooter in a photo lineup, police reported.
Tori Cleggett, who told The Gazette that he ran outside his apartment after hearing the shots and watched his friend die in his arms, said he didn’t know the man who is accused of killing Lindsey. Cleggett said he doesn’t know why his friend is dead.
“I can’t really think about it,” he told The Gazette after the shooting. “It’s just sad, that’s all.”
