BROWN, VERNON
GENERAL INFORMATION
DOB: October 1, 1953
Race: African-American
Gender: Male
CRIME AND TRIAL
County of conviction: St. Louis City
Number of counts: 1
Race of victim: White
Gender of victim: Female
Date of crime: October 24, 1986
Date of sentencing: December 13, 1988
Date of execution: May 18, 2005
TRIAL COUNSEL:
Bob Ramsey
LEGAL STATUS:
Last judicial decision:
First Conviction: Denial of habeas relief by U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri (Jackson, J.) (unpublished). Certificate of appealability denied by District Court and Eighth Circuit (unpublished), cert. denied, Feb. 19, 2002
Second Conviction: Denial of habeas affirmed by Brown v. Luebbers, 371 F.3d 458 (8th Cir. 2004)(en banc).
LAST COUNSEL OF RECORD:
Richard H. Sindel
8008 Carondelet Suite 301
Clayton, MO 63105
314-721-6040
John W. Simon
P O Box 16005
Clayton, MO 63105
314-645-1776
REPORTED OPINIONS:
--Denial of petition for cert by Brown v. Luebbers, 125 S.Ct. 1379 (2005)
--Denial of habeas affirmed by Brown v. Luebbers, 371 F.3d 458 (8th Cir. 2004)(en banc).
--Denial of habeas reversed, and sentencing phase relief granted, by Brown v. Luebbers, 344 F.3d 770 (8th Cir. 2003)
--Remanding for hearing on gender-based Batson claim: State v. Brown, 958 S.W.2d 553 (Mo. banc. 1997)
--Conviction, sentence, and denial of PCR affirmed by State v. Brown, 998 S.W.2d 531 (Mo. banc. 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 979 (1999)
SIGNIFICANT LEGAL ISSUES:
--gender and race neutrality of state's reasons for peremptory strikes
--availability of individual voir dire
--possible entitlement to relief under Atkins v. Virginia (mental retardation)
--death penalty on second conviction vacated on habeas review by Eighth Circuit panel due to trial court's exclusion of letter written by Mr. Brown's brother, who was in the military, regarding the defendant's personal and family history.