Former NFL safety Sergio Brown pleaded not guilty to killing his mother, nearly two months after he was arrested in San Diego after a stint in Mexico.
Mr Brown was charged with first-degree murder for the death of his mother, 73-year-old Myrtle Brown, as well as with concealment of a dead body in October. On 6 December, Mr Brown pleaded not guilty to both charges, the Associated Press reported.
Myrtle Brown was found dead on 16 September, mere hours after she and her son, Mr Brown, were reported missing. The 73-year-old was found dead near a creek not far from her Maywood, Illinois home.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office determined she died from blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide.
Mr Brown’s plea comes months after Mr Brown admitted in October to taking some of his mother’s belongings to Mexico. Prosecutors at the time claimed the ex-football star was using Myrtle Brown’s credit card there — after she died.
There were similarities between DNA samples found under Myrtle Brown’s fingernails and on a toothbrush in Mr Brown’s bedroom, the prosecution has said. However, in October Mr Brown’s public defender Robert Fox emphasised the lack of witnesses: “There’s no direct evidence. It’s all circumstantial.”
In the wake of his mother’s death, a turbulent hunt for the former Patriot was underway. Mr Brown posted bizarre videos on Instagram, in which he seemed to mock his mother’s death, calling it “fake news” and making “Finding Nemo” references.
Police eventually traced the former NFL player to Mexico, as authorities believed one of his videos was filmed in Playa del Carmen. TMZ also published footage of a man who appeared to be Mr Brown dancing in Tulum and buying drinks for others at a club.
While police were searching for him, one of Myrtle Brown’s neighbours told WBBM that he had a Ring doorbell video, which he gave to authorities, that showed Mr Brown burning his mother’s clothes. The neighbour also added that the former NFL player had been acting differently around the time of his mother’s death: “They said he wasn’t himself the last few months. He was out of his mind.”
Mr Brown is next scheduled to appear in court on 24 January.
