It’s been 18 months since a double shooting that left one person dead in Fairfield Twp. Walmart and the suspect remain in the Butler County Jail and are no closer to trial.
Anthony Brown, 33, of Hamilton, is accused of murdering a man in a store on May 26, 2022, during an attempt to steal a mobile phone. He was arrested within hours after local law enforcement officers led a search. He was arrested at a Middletown hotel.
A week later, Brown was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault and possession of a weapon while impaired in connection with two shootings that killed customers at the Princeton Road store.
Brown was scheduled to return to Butler County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday, but Judge Dan Hoey allowed new attorney Brad Kramer to continue and the hearing to arraign or set a trial was reset for Nov. 21. .
According to court records, Kramer requested a continuance, citing scheduling conflicts.
Brown was originally scheduled to go to trial in June, but the trial was canceled after his lawyer withdrew from the case, citing irreconcilable differences. After months of legal filings and a forensic psychological evaluation, Brown was declared competent to stand trial in January.
A second trial with a new public defender, scheduled for next month, was also canceled after Brown suggested the family might hire an attorney who could be “cooperative.”
In July, Carter hired Kramer as his new public defender. Since then, pretrial hearings have continued with no trial date set.
Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said he leaves it up to the judge to decide whether to allow the case to proceed unless the case is clear.
“The level of seriousness of this case is very high compared to most cases I handle,” Gmoser said. “But I’m not concerned about public safety because obviously he (Brown) isn’t going anywhere as long as this is a case involving the death of his father…and if the lawyers need more time, I generally don’t object to those requests unless I really start to feel like the system is being used,” Gmoser said.
Brown is being held on $1.5 million bail based on public safety and the strength of the prosecutor’s case.
Brown is accused of fatally shooting Adam Black, 35, a Hamilton man who had recently moved to the area and had just learned he was becoming a father. Brown is also accused of fatally shooting and wounding the surviving Walmart employee, Eric Ruff, 57, of Fairfield.
Butler County Assistant Prosecutor Katie Pridemore said the weight of the evidence, including a note given to the store clerk, a mask and the alleged murder weapon found during Brown’s arrest, points to the need for a higher bond. Stated.
Brown was arrested on May 26, 2022, in multiple Walmart store clips. Prosecutors said Brown was first seen walking into the store after being dropped off by his father.
“All of Brown’s interactions at the electronics store were captured on video, where he spent 22 minutes trying to steal an iPhone, passing a threatening letter to an employee, and eventually pushing an electronics employee down and stealing multiple cellphones. He took the phone and fled,” Pridemore said. I have written.
There is video of Brown running through the store trying to escape. Prosecutors say he was captured on video shooting two innocent victims in the produce aisle, and there is also video of him fleeing the store at the end.
When the license plate of the suspect getaway car was returned to Brown’s father, the father admitted he had taken his son to the store and identified Brown from still images from the video, prosecutors said.
“The father also had his son’s cell phone number, and law enforcement used that information to locate Brown, who was hiding in a hotel room in Middletown,” Pridemore wrote.
When police arrived at the hotel room, Brown attempted to escape by jumping out of a window with the weapon in hand, but was arrested, prosecutors said.