Lavar Brown was sentenced to death by the State of Pennsylvania for the murder of Robert Crawford
According to court documents Lavar Brown had a grudge against Robert Crawford that ended when Brown would open fire and kill him
A month prior Lavar Brown was involved in a pharmacy robbery that left a man dead
Lavar Brown would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
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Lavar Brown is incarcerated at SCI Phoenix
Lavar Brown Case
On December 10, 2003, appellant, then age 24, and Rahsaan Anderson were standing on Girard Avenue in Philadelphia, near a school, subway station, gas station, and restaurant. Around 3:00 p.m., appellant saw Robert Crawford crossing Girard Avenue, and stated, “There go that pussy.” N.T. Trial, 5/26/05, at 33. Appellant approached Crawford and, without provocation, shot him multiple times in the back.
After shooting Crawford, appellant and Anderson began to run but were quickly deterred by two police officers in a patrol vehicle. One officer stopped and frisked Anderson, but found no weapon. The second officer saw appellant across the street with his right hand in his jacket pocket and ordered him multiple times to show his hands. Appellant refused to remove his hand from his pocket and instead ran back toward the crime scene and down an alley. The officer pursued him, commanding him to stop. Appellant continued to run, and other officers joined the chase. Appellant eventually crawled beneath a vehicle; the officers pulled him out and took him into custody. A .380 caliber semi-automatic firearm was found near the vehicle’s right rear axle.
Multiple witnesses identified appellant as Crawford’s shooter. Royal Smith, a youth advocate worker, and Christiana Ellison, her client, were seated in a vehicle three to five feet away when the shooting occurred. Both identified appellant as the shooter, stating he shot the victim, stood over him after he had fallen, and shot him again. Rahsaan Anderson also identified appellant as the shooter. Angela Sutton testified solely to the shooter’s appearance, confirming previous testimony that the shooter was a dark-complected man, standing 5′7″ 5′10″ tall, and wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt or dark jacket.
Several police officers testified to appellant’s flight and arrest, as well as to finding the gun. Crime Scene Investigator Leo Rahill testified to the ballistic evidence recovered from the scene, including three .380 caliber fired cartridge cases, one fired copper-jacketed projectile bullet, and a sample of Crawford’s blood. Ballistics expert John Cannon opined the three cartridges and fired bullet were collected from locations consistent with someone standing in one spot and firing multiple projectiles, and the semi-automatic weapon found under the vehicle was the same weapon used to fire the projectiles into Crawford’s body.
Medical Examiner Dr. Edward Chmara testified Crawford died from multiple gunshot wounds, specifically from blood loss due to a ruptured aorta. The first bullet wound was fatal and entered his upper right back, puncturing his right lung and aorta, and exited under his first rib. The second bullet entered Crawford’s right elbow; bullet and jacket fragments remained in his arm’s soft tissue and bone. The third and fourth wounds were located in Crawford’s lower left back. All bullets recovered from Crawford’s body were .380 caliber, consistent with the gun found under the vehicle where appellant hid from police. Appellant did not have a license to carry a firearm.
During the penalty phase, the Commonwealth sought to prove two aggravating factors: during the commission of the offense, appellant knowingly created a grave risk of death to another person in addition to the victim, and appellant was convicted of a prior murder. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(d)(7), (d)(11). To meet its burden, the Commonwealth again called ballistics expert John Cannon, who testified a .380 caliber bullet is capable of passing through a human body and harming another person when shot from 80-100 feet. His testimony also established a person need not be in the immediate line of fire to be lethally wounded by such a bullet, as it could ricochet, taking new, unpredictable courses. The Commonwealth also called Assistant District Attorney William Fisher to testify appellant was previously convicted of second degree murder and robbery for his involvement in the killing of a local store manager during a robbery.3
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/pa-supreme-court/1499666.html
