Ranon Brownlee accused the 26-year-old victim, Charniese Brown of cheating on him, according to reports.
A 26-Year-Old Wisconsin woman frantically screamed "he’s trying to kill me," to a 911 dispatcher, and a moment later, the phone went silent. Her live-in boyfriend is now facing charges for her alleged murder, authorities said.
Dispatchers could hear a violent scuffle and the sound of the 26-year-old victim, Charniese Brown, crying for help. At one point the operator asked Brown if "she's still with her," followed by silence and then the sound of a “shotgun going off.” The 911 recording also included a man's voice asking Brown repeatedly, "Who are you f******?", according to Kenosha County Deputy District Attorney Angelina Gabriele's account during Wednesday’s bonds hearing, WGTD-Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) reported.
Ranon Brownlee, 51, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, with additional charges consistent with domestic violence, according to a police statement.
During Wednesday’s bond hearing, Gabriele said that Brownlee accused Brown of cheating on him over the weekend, and that Brownlee sent Brown threatening text messages the day before the alleged murder, calling her out for “playing” him all weekend and telling her “to have fun tonight like it's your last.”
In one of the text messages, Gabriele quoted Brownlee as saying, "You already cheated. The crime is done. The state can have my kids. They're better off."
Brownlee added, "I don't care what happens to me. Life is over to me. I'm done. I can't take it no more,” WPR reported.
Neighbors told the Kenosha News that the couple had lived in the home together for about a year and had a blended family of six children, People Magazine reported.
The tragic incident took place on March 8, when Kenosha police were alerted to the 1700 Block of 73rd Street around 5:30 p.m. When police arrived within two minutes after receiving the call, they found Brown’s body in the stairwell. Police and paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but it was too late. Brownlee surrendered and showed police the wounds to his hands, claiming that he acted in self-defense, according to multiple reports.
The six children the coupled shared were all home during the attack and reportedly heard some of the argument, but did not witness the physical violence, the Deputy DA said, the public radio station reported.
An autopsy revealed that Brown suffered multiple stab wounds and had been shot in the back of her shoulder, WPR reported.
Brownlee is being held on a $1 million bond. His charges are expected to come on Thursday. He has not entered a plea, and the public defender's office did not respond to Inside Edition Digital’s request for comment.
RELATED STORIES
