A 22½-year prison term was handed down to a man who fatally beat and stabbed a friend in the victim's south Minneapolis apartment 14 months ago.
Charles Brown Jr., of Minneapolis, was sentenced Monday in Hennepin County District Court after pleading guilty to second-degree unintentional murder in connection with the death of Duane K. Brown, 67, in an apartment in the 1700 block of 3rd Avenue S.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Charles Brown is expected to serve roughly 14 years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint:
Firefighters arrived at the apartment on June 11, 2022, on an unrelated call for a fire and saw food burning on the stove. They also saw Charles Brown asleep in a bedroom and a man's body on the living room floor. Police came to the residence and saw dried blood on Charles Brown and a small cut on his finger.
The living room where the body was located showed signs of a struggle. A stool was bent in such a way that "indicated it was used to strike [the man] with significant force," the charges read.
Charles Brown told investigators that the two of them had been friends for years. He said they met up and decided to go to the apartment to drink. He said they drank heavily.
Charles Brown suggested that an intruder must have killed his friend, but investigators told him that the door has an automatic closing system and could not be left open unless propped.
