Man Found Guilty of 2015 Murder for the Second Time

November 20, 2024, Peoria, IL - Today, Darren D. Brown, 32, was found guilty of First Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery for a shooting in July 2015 in the South End that left one man dead and another injured. This is the second time this case has gone to trial. Brown was found guilty by a Peoria County jury in September 2017 and sentenced to 63 years in prison. However, in November 2021, the appellate court overturned Brown's conviction because of a change in the law regarding the admissibility of business records. In the original trial, it took the jury only one hour to find Brown guilty because of the strength of the evidence. In this second trial, the jury only needed 45 minutes.

Around 11 pm on July 15, 2015, police responded to the 1600 block of W. Kettelle St. in Peoria on a shooting call. Upon arrival, officers found Charles Shelton with a gunshot wound to his stomach and leg and Nikko Smith, 25, with a gunshot wound to the head. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. Shelton survived the shooting but has since passed away due to unrelated natural causes. During the three-day trial, Shelton's previous testimony on the shooting was read to the jury. That testimony was that Shelton was at Smith's house when Brown entered carrying a silver revolver. Brown ordered Shelton and another man to get on the floor and held the gun to Smith's head, stating he was taking money and drugs that were in the home. Shelton jumped up from the floor, and that is when Brown shot him. Brown then tried to leave, but Smith fought back, and that is when Brown shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Brown then fled the scene. When police later interviewed Shelton, he identified Brown as the shooter.

The case is set for sentencing on December 30.

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