Jury convicts man of first-degree murder in fatal shooting of girlfriend

A 52-year-old man who shot and killed his girlfriend during a domestic dispute in 2023 will face a life sentence with parole.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday said a jury found Johnny Leroy Brown guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the Dec. 17, 2023, murder of Kesha Moore.

As previously reported, Brown called 911 twice on the night of Moore’s death to report that she pulled a gun on him and she was “shot down.” Police responding to Moore’s Minneapolis apartment found her dead and moved several feet.

Brown was arrested during a traffic stop in Golden Valley on Dec. 18. When questioned, he claimed he and Moore drew a gun on him during an argument and he disarmed her. Brown said the gun went off after he “bumped” the trigger, a criminal complaint states.

Investigators say the gun that killed Moore has a trigger pull of 5 pounds, 5 ounces and was unlikely to go off if bumped.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said prosecutors built a case against Brown using testimony from “numerous women” whom he had abused in the past.

“Mr. Brown committed a terrible crime, and our community lost another woman to domestic violence,” Moriarty said. “This horrific murder was part of a pattern of domestic violence by Mr. Brown against women in his life, including Kesha and many past partners.”

Prior to Moore’s death, Brown had served nearly 10 years in federal prison for a 2007 case in which he fired a gun in the air during a disagreement with an ex-girlfriend. He had been ineligible to possess a gun due to a violent crime conviction in 2001 and had several orders for protection against him.

Brown’s sentencing is scheduled for March 13.

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