Tina Brown

Case information

Tina Lasonya Brown was convicted of first-degree murder in the beating and burning death of Audreanna Zimmerman, and was sentenced to death on September 28, 2012.

Timeline

• March 24, 2010 — Audreanna Zimmerman was attacked and beaten with a crowbar, shocked with a stun gun, and set on fire.
• April 8, 2010 — Audreanna Zimmerman died.
• June 2012 — Tina Brown was found guilty of first-degree murder.
• June 18, 2012 — Trial proceedings for the death penalty phase were set to begin.
• September 27, 2012 — Tina Brown was sentenced to death by Circuit Judge Gary Bergosh.
• March 15, 2013 — Britnee Miller was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2013.
• May 22, 2014 — The Florida Supreme Court unanimously upheld the conviction and death penalty sentence.
• Last week (before May 22, 2014) — The Florida Supreme Court denied Brown’s appeal of the sentence and conviction.

The offence

Audreanna Zimmerman, aged 19, was attacked in March 2010 in the Ensley area. She was beaten with a crowbar, shocked with a stun gun, and set on fire. Investigators said the attack was sparked by a disagreement over a man.

After the beating and stun gun attack, Zimmerman was put in the trunk of a car, driven to a wooded area off Lepley Avenue, doused with gasoline, and set on fire. Zimmerman ran to a nearby home and called 911 after the attack, according to investigators. She was transported to a hospital in Mobile with severe burns across 60 percent of her body, and she died two weeks later.

The jury recommended the death penalty unanimously. Prosecutors argued that the murder was planned and carried out by Brown.

Investigation

The case involved autopsy photos shown to the jury. Eugene Hart, an Alabama medical examiner, explained the photos.

Zimmerman told rescuers: “They Tased me, they beat me in the head with a crowbar and set me on fire,” and “My friends did it. I thought we had made up.”

Prosecutors said Zimmerman’s story about watching movies together and settling differences was a ruse to get Zimmerman to walk into the trap.

Arrest and custody

Tina Brown, her daughter Britnee Miller, and neighbor Heather Lee were arrested in March 2010 after the attack.

Brown remained on death row after sentencing.

Trial

Charges and defendants

Tina Brown was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Britnee Miller and Heather Lee were co-defendants in the same death of Audreanna Zimmerman.

During the trial:

• The defense explored motives including a dispute between Brown and Zimmerman over a man.
• Another allegation was that Zimmerman tried to use a stun gun on Brown’s daughter during a scuffle shortly before the attack.

Prosecution and defence positions

Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen detailed the case to the jury, including Zimmerman’s statements to rescuers. Jensen also said, “Look at Tina Brown’s actions on March 24. She had intent to kill,” and argued that Zimmerman’s murder was planned and subsequently carried out by Brown.

John Jay Gontarek, Brown’s attorney, argued that the state’s case was a “house of cards,” and that there was conflicting testimony between co-defendant Heather Lee and a teenager who was in the trailer when the beating happened. Gontarek also argued that the attack could not have been premeditated because the trio did not clean up everything from the sight of the beating, asking jurors several times, “What kind of premeditation is this?”

During trial testimony:

• Sammy Rejino, Zimmerman’s father, attended the proceedings and stepped out when the autopsy photos were shown.
• Pamela Valley, a friend of Brown from Wisconsin, testified that Brown asked her to kill Zimmerman a few days after the beating. Valley testified: “She told me to go finish off (Zimmerman),” and that she went to police because “I knew someone got hurt, and I knew who did it.”
• Valley also testified that Brown “She did the best that she could,” regarding Brown’s effort to provide for her family, including working a night shift at a Waffle House.
• During questioning by Gontarek, Valley said Brown was “a good mother to her daughter, Britnee Miller.”

Brown did not testify.

Witness testimony about co-defendants

Wendy Moye, a former Escambia County Jail inmate, testified that Heather Lee confided that Lee set Zimmerman on fire. Moye testified, “She didn’t think the victim would make it,” and said she and Lee were serving time in the same dorm.

Moye also testified about attempts to withdraw testimony in exchange for transferring jails and moving dorms. Assistant State Attorney Bridgette Jensen questioned Moye for several minutes about these attempts, and Moye maintained that she was telling the truth while using bargaining tactics.

Guilty findings and recommendations

The jury found Brown guilty of first-degree murder and recommended the death penalty unanimously.

Sentencing

Circuit Judge Gary Bergosh sentenced Tina Brown to death.

During the penalty phase, the defense presented testimony from family members and doctors, stating that Brown had lived a hard life full of drugs and sexual abuse and that this influenced her state of mind and her decisions at the time of the killing.

Prior to sentencing, Brown made a statement apologizing for her involvement and asking for closure:

“I want them to have closure.” and she said, “I’m sorry she helped in this.”

Brown also told the judge about viewing autopsy pictures, saying:

“I remember back, looking at the autopsy pictures.” and that “They haunt me today.”

Brown also expressed pain about funeral arrangements:

“Her daughter died a horrific death,” and “She didn’t deserve it at all.”

Appeals and outcomes

The Florida Supreme Court unanimously upheld the conviction and death penalty sentence, and the court denied Brown’s appeal of the sentence and conviction.

Other details

Co-defendant outcomes

Heather Lee pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and testified against Brown during the trial. The State Attorney’s Office decided not to seek the death penalty against Lee and did not pursue a kidnapping charge against Lee.

Britnee Miller pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2013 for her role in the attack.

Disagreement over a man

Investigators and testimony discussed a dispute among the women over a man as a motive for the killing. The case also included discussion of a possible scuffle involving a stun gun before the attack.

Locations and logistics mentioned

The victim was attacked in the Ensley area in an area down a dirt trail, east of Ashland Avenue. The victim and suspects lived in a mobile home park in the 900 block of Detroit Boulevard. After the attack, Zimmerman was driven to a wooded area off Lepley Avenue, then set on fire.