Curtis Don Brown

Confirmed Kills
3
Suspected Kills
18
Total Possible Kills
21
Years Active
1985–1986
DOB
August 2, 1958
Zodiac
Leo
Gender
Male
Race
Black
Identified
Yes
Status
Sentenced to life imprisonment
Alive or Dead?
In Prison (Life)
US States Operated
Texas
Country
US
Synopsis
Info Box

Curtis Don Brown was convicted of raping and killing three women in Texas between 1985 and 1986, but it’s believed that he was involved in up to 18 homicides. In 2009, he was found guilty of two further murders from 1985 as a result of fresh DNA evidence.

Typically, Brown would sneak up behind his prey, choke them to death, and then rape them. Then, he would kill them by strangling them or hitting them with a blunt item. Brown is suspected of the disappearances of several other young women in Texas in addition to the five murders for which he was found guilty.

However, due to the lack of concrete evidence, he has never been charged with any of these crimes. Despite his horrific criminal history, Brown has only ever been sentenced to life in prison; he has never received the death penalty.

Life

Brown was born on September 2, 1958, and at the age of thirteen, he narrowly escaped a house fire in which his two younger brothers were murdered and his mother was wounded.

Brown was detained on May 28, 1986, for the murder of Jewel Woods after relocating from Louisiana to Texas in the early 1980s so he could be nearer to his mother.

Woods, a former nurse, was raped before being fatally bludgeoned by a group of men outside her Fort Worth house. Officers saw Brown fleeing the site in the early hours of Saturday morning as they were surveying the area for an unrelated problem.

A short distance after running just under a mile, he was stopped by the police and was found to be carrying Woods’ purse, despite being out of breath. As a result of Brown’s conviction in 1989, he was sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Woods east fort worth apartment. Brown has been in Tarrant county jail ever since the capital murder charge.

The Victims:

Terece Gregory

Terece Gregory was reported missing in isolated Pittsylvania County, Virginia, on October 10, 1975. Two days later, Jesse Timmendequas, a convicted sex offender who had recently received parole, was found living nearby with her remains in a shallow grave. Gregory had been raped and killed by being strangled in a downtown fort worth nightclub.

Timmendequas was given a life sentence after admitting to killing the woman. After confessing to the rape and murder of seven additional women and girls, he would go on to become one of the most infamous serial killers in American history.

In each case, he lured his victims with the promise of work or a place to stay, before sexually assaulting them and strangling them to death.

Sharyn Kills Back

Sharyn Kills Back was just eighteen years old when she was brutally raped and murdered by Gary Leon Brown She was a member of the pine ridge Indian reservation. An area near her home in Spokane, Washington, was found with her body by Arlington police.

She had been beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death. Investigators believe that Brown killed her for testifying against him in another case. Brown is now on death row, and her family continues to grieve for their lost daughter. Sharyn’s story is a tragic reminder of the devastating impact of sexual violence. 

It is also a reminder of the importance of providing support for victims and their families. Sharyn’s family has dedicated their lives to fighting for justice, and they continue to inspire others with their strength and courage.

Jewel Woods

Curtis Don Brown’s third known victim is 51 years old Jewel Woods. She was found on December 8th, 2015, in an abandoned house. Ms. Woods had been reported missing by her family on November 30th.

Her body was found clothed, however, she appeared to have been sexually assaulted. The first two victims were found in March and April of 2015.

Both victims were also sexually assaulted and had their bodies dumped in abandoned houses. Investigators believe that there may be more victims, as Brown is known to have lived in several states across the country.

Investigation

In 2005, a new prison policy required Brown to submit a DNA sample to the crime lab.

Fort Worth Cold Case detectives shared information with Arlington Cold Case detectives after the tests were completed later that year. It was found that Brown’s DNA profile was in agreement with physical evidence found in two unsolved murders of 1985.

A plumber in Southern Arlington discovered Sharyn Kills Back’s body inside a storm drain on March 23, 1985, after she was found dead inside the drain by a plumber who was searching for water in the area. The death of the victim is believed to have been caused by strangulation due to a rope tied around the neck of the deceased. 

Eight days before the disappearance of Kills Back, on March 15, he went missing. It was found in the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 30, 1985, that Gregory’s naked body was floating in the water. 

A nightclub downtown was the last place she was seen the previous day, as she was leaving the nightclub. In the course of examining her body, it was determined that she had been raped and shot, and that DNA had been found on her body which identified the perpetrator. This DNA evidence led to Brown’s arrest and conviction.

Conviction

Brown was charged with capital murder for the Gregory killing and soon after, was charged in Kills Back’s killing. In 2009, to avoid the death penalty, Brown pleaded guilty to the two additional murders and as a result, was given two life sentences without the possibility of parole concurrently.

Investigators believe that Brown is responsible for 18 other murders starting from 1984 although no new charges have been filed.

On July 10, 2020, after 35 years of fighting for justice, the family of Sharyn Kills Back finally saw her killer Gary Leon Brown sentenced to death. Brown had been on death row in Washington state since 1990, but his sentence was overturned in 2018.

The new sentence means that Brown will now be transferred to federal prison to await execution. This is a huge victory for the family of Sharyn, and all survivors of sexual violence.

It is important to remember that sexual violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, or gender. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, it is vital to seek help and support. There are many resources available to victims and their families, and no one should have to go through this experience alone.

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