KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — The trial date for a Terrell, Texas, man accused of killing five in 2013 has been set after a Kaufman County judge denied a defense motion for continuance earlier today.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — The trial date for a Terrell, Texas, man accused of killing five in 2013 has been set after a Kaufman County judge denied a defense motion for continuance earlier today.
Last week, Brownlow’s attorney Assistant Public Defender John Wright, from the Regional Public Defender’s Office, filed a motion for continuance in the trial citing time constraints due to his involvement in other high-profile murder trials including the Eric Williams trial.
Because the Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office had notified of their intent to seek the death penalty for Brownlow, should he be convicted, Wright argues Brownlow should be afforded additional time to prepare for the case.
“Significant work remains to be done in order for the case to be trial ready, and under no circumstances can the defense be prepared to effectively represent Mr. Brownlow during the trial set to begin with individual voir dire in May, 2015,” states the motion for continuance filed January 20, 2015.
Brownlow’s motion for continuance was denied by Kaufman County 422nd District Court Judge B. Michael Chitty in a response letter filed January 29, 2015.
Wright requested the trial be continued until at least January 2016 so the defense “may properly investigate any allegations of adjudicated and unadjudicated offenses,” to “conduct independent testing on the biological evidence that has been entirely under control of the State,” to allow Wright and Matthew Seymour adequate time to prepare, and additional reasons to be “presented ex parte.”
Brownlow’s mental health is poised to be a key factor in the defense’s case. In the 38-page motion filed, Wright alleges Brownlow’s prior criminal history, which includes “17 criminal infractions greater than traffic violations,” may amount to a “sign or symptom of mental illness.”
According to the motion, Bronwlow has been on the local Mental Health Mental Retardation (MHMR) caseload and continues to be seen and treated by a jail psychologist and jail doctor who prescribe Brownlow medications used in mental health cases.
According to authorities, Brownlow went on the five-and-a-half hour killing spree on the night of October 28, 2013, first killing his aunt, 55-year-old Belinda Young Walker, at her home in the Stallings addition in southeastern Terrell. Then he killed his mother, 61-year-old Mary Catherine Brownlow, at a home authorities believe they shared – he then set fire to the house, also in the Stallings addition.
Five-and-a-half hours later, authorities say, Brownlow shot and killed Jason Wooden and Kelleye Pratt at their north Terrell home. Brownlow then traveled to Ali's Market where he shot and killed the clerk, 22-year-old Luis Leal.
After a brief police chase and nearly four hour manhunt, authorities captured Brownlow near a creek north of the Stallings addition.
Brownlow’s trial date is set for July 6, 2015, and is expected to last between five and eight days. Jury selection is expected to begin May 4, 2015.
