Brownstone Lane murders
The Brownstone Lane murders were the mass murders of four people at a residence on Brownstone Lane in Houston, Texas. On June 20, 1992, three men tied up six people and shot all of them in the head execution-style. Four of the six victims died. The perpetrators: Marion Butler Dudley (May 13, 1972 – January 25, 2006),[1] Arthur "Squirt" Brown Jr. (August 14, 1970 – March 9, 2023),[2] and Antonio "Tony" Lamone Dunson (born November 7, 1972)[3] were convicted of capital murder. Dudley and Brown were sentenced to death, while Dunson was sentenced to life in prison.[4]
Marion Dudley | |
|---|---|
 TDCJ mugshot of Dudley | |
| Born | Marion Butler Dudley May 13, 1972 Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 2006 (aged 33) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (January 23, 1995) |
| Details | |
| Date | June 20, 1992 |
| Country | United States |
| Location(s) | Houston, Texas |
| Killed | 4 |
| Injured | 2 |
Date apprehended | July 8, 1992 |
Arthur Brown Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 14, 1970 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 9, 2023 (aged 52) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Other names | Squirt |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (November 1993) |
| Details | |
| Date | June 20, 1992 |
| Country | United States |
| Location(s) | Houston, Texas |
| Killed | 4 |
| Injured | 2 |
Date apprehended | October 23, 1992 |
Tony Dunson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Antonia Lamone Dunson November 7, 1972 Alabama, U.S. |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction(s) | Capital murder |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Date | June 20, 1992 |
| Country | United States |
| Location(s) | Houston, Texas |
| Killed | 4 |
| Injured | 2 |
Date apprehended | July 8, 1992 |
| Imprisoned at | Huntsville Unit |
Dudley and Brown were executed by lethal injection at the Huntsville Unit in Huntsville, Texas. Dudley was executed on January 25, 2006,[4] and Brown was executed on March 9, 2023.[5][6][7] Dunson remains incarcerated at the Huntsville Unit and is eligible for parole in 2027.[8]
Murders
On June 20, 1992, four people were shot and killed during a drug deal at a residence on Brownstone Lane in Houston, Texas. Marion Dudley, Arthur Brown Jr., and Tony Dunson had gone to the home of Jose and Rachel Tovar to buy three kilograms of cocaine when they decided to rob them of their drugs and money. Six people were bound and shot by the trio inside the home. By the time police arrived, three victims were dead: Jose Tovar, Jessica Quiñones (seven months pregnant), and Frank Farias. Of the three survivors, one, Audrey Brown, later died in a hospital, making the total number of murder victims four. The remaining two survivors identified Marion Dudley, Arthur Brown Jr., and Tony Dunson as their attackers.[4][9]
Aftermath
After the murders, the perpetrators fled the area. When they learned they were suspects in the murders and wanted by the police; they fled town. The trio bought a Jeep Cherokee and convinced two women to drive them from Birmingham, Alabama to Louisville, Kentucky. Once there, they purchased plane tickets to Ohio under assumed names. They then left Columbus and headed north. Police found a sports vehicle they believed belonged to Dudley, but it offered them no new leads. The mothers of Dudley, Brown, and Dunson asked them to turn themselves in but believed they were innocent.[10]
On July 8, 1992, Dudley and Dunson were captured at a mobile home in Fayetteville, North Carolina.[11][12] On October 23, 1992, Brown was captured by members of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit at an apartment in Northport, Alabama.[13]
Trials
Following their arrests, all three suspects were charged with capital murder.[14] Prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty for Brown and Dudley, but not Dunson.[15]
Arthur "Squirt" Brown Jr. (unrelated to victim Audrey Brown) was convicted of capital murder. In November 1993, he was sentenced to death.[15] He was the first of the three perpetrators to be convicted.[5][15]
Marion Butler Dudley was also convicted of capital murder and was the second of the three perpetrators to be convicted.[16] On January 23, 1995, he was sentenced to death.[15]
Antonio Lamone Dunson was convicted of capital murder and given a life sentence. As of March 2023, he was still in prison and is eligible for parole on July 8, 2027.[8]
Subsequent developments
Dudley's execution
Dudley was executed by lethal injection on January 25, 2006, in Huntsville, Texas.[17] He became the first person to be executed by the state of Texas in 2006.[4]
Dudley refused to walk to the execution chamber and had to be carried.[18] When asked if he had a final statement to make, he ignored the warden and kept his eyes shut. Taken as a decline, the drugs were administered, and eight minutes later, at 6:16 p.m., he was pronounced dead.[4][19] He proclaimed his innocence to the very end and denied ever being at the home when the shootings occurred.[20]
Brown's appeals and execution
Brown repeatedly attempted to appeal his conviction. In August 2014, Brown lost a federal court appeal after arguing he should be provided $7,500 to pay for a mitigation specialist to assist him with his clemency petition. A federal district court refused, and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's rejection.[21] In October 2017, Brown lost another appeal when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied him a new trial or new sentencing phase.[22]
In April 2022, a judge in the 351st District Court was expected to sign Brown's death warrant, who had exhausted all of his appeals.[23] In May 2022, prosecutors and defense attorneys attempted to sway a Harris County judge to decide on Brown's death warrant. Prosecutors attempted to sway the judge to set an August 31 execution date for Brown, while his lawyers argued he had an intellectual disability and was therefore ineligible for execution.[24] On May 20, the judge declined to sign the death warrant for Brown, prompting an angry reaction from family members of the victims. Following the verdict, a Harris County District Attorney's prosecutor announced they would challenge the judge's decision through the Court of Appeals.[25][26]
On August 17, 2022, the same judge who initially declined to sign the death warrant in May, signed Brown's execution warrant, with the execution date set for March 9, 2023.[6][27]
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Brown's application for a stay of execution on the afternoon of March 9, 2023.[28] He was executed that same day. In his final statement, he proclaimed his innocence and claimed the state was executing an innocent man.[7]
Dudley and Brown's bodies were claimed by their families and taken back to Alabama for administration of funeral rites.
See also
References
- "Inmate Information Marion Butler Dudley". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved January 29, 2006.
- "Inmate Information Arthur Brown Jr". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- "Antonia Lamone Dunson". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Marion Butler Dudley #1007". Clark County Prosecutor. Retrieved July 21, 2007.
- "Inmate Information Details 04755370". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Hensley, Nicole (August 17, 2022). "Arthur Brown, convicted of killing four in Houston home, set to be executed next year". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- Lozano, Juan A.; Graczyk, Michael (March 10, 2023). "Texas executes inmate for killing 4 during drug robbery". Associated Press. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Inmate Information Details 05456931". Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Tuscaloosa man loses Texas death row appeal". The Tuscaloosa News. October 18, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Mothers say their sons didn't kill 4 people". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 29, 1992. p. 11. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "2 arrested in N.C. in Texas killings". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 10, 1992. pp. 25, 29. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Graczyk, Michael (January 25, 2006). "Alabama man executed for Texas slayings". Plainview Daily Herald. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Taylor, Stephanie (October 26, 2013). "Tuscaloosa man's execution delayed in Texas slayings". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "2 Charged In Southwest Houston Shootings". The Tyler Courier-Times. June 23, 1992. p. 17. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Tuscaloosa man gets death for drug killings". The Selma Times-Journal. January 23, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved May 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Media Advisory: Marion Butler Dudley Scheduled For Execution". Texas Attorney General. January 19, 2006. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
- "Execution Report: Marion Dudley". Texas Execution Information Center. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- "Death row man carried to his execution". The Age. January 27, 2006. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Convicted Murderer Executed In Texas". Fox News. January 13, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Tuscaloosa man set to die for Texas slayings". The Tuscaloosa News. January 25, 2006. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Alabama man on Texas death row for 1992 quadruple homicide loses appeal". al.com. August 8, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Rogers, Brian (October 19, 2017). "Texas high court rejects death penalty appeal in 1992 quadruple drug-related homicide". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Hensley, Nicole (April 7, 2022). "Execution looms for man convicted in 1992 killing of four at Houston home". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Hensley, Nicole (May 20, 2022). "Concerns over intellectual disability arise ahead of Harris County defendant's execution". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Hensley, Nicole (May 20, 2022). "Judge declines to sign death warrant for Harris County defendant amid intellectual disability concerns". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Cooper, Nakia; Barajas, Bill (May 20, 2022). "'10,927 days is too much': Outrage after no execution date set for man who murdered several members of one family". KPRC-TV. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- Lozano, Juan A. (March 9, 2023). "Man who killed 4 during Houston drug robbery faces execution". The Independent. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- "Justices decline to halt execution of Texas man with intellectual disability claim". SCOTUSblog. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
