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A Coweta County jury has convicted Brett Tyler Brown, 40, of Sharpsburg, on multiple felony sex crimes, including rape and aggravated sexual battery. Senior Superior Court Judge Ben Studdard sentenced Brown on October 24 to life in prison without parole, following a weeklong trial in Coweta County Superior Court.
Case details
According to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Brown was found guilty of rape, aggravated sexual battery, sodomy, and sexual battery. The District Attorney’s Office invoked Georgia’s Recidivist statute, which mandates the maximum sentence for offenders with at least three prior felony convictions. Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Williams-Vickery and Jillian Brasfield prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Investigator Casey Mullis of the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
Evidence presented
Prosecutors said Brown had access to the 17-year-old victim through the victim’s mother, with whom he was in a relationship. Over a 48-hour period in March 2020, Brown gave the teen alcohol laced with pills until she became incapacitated, allowing him to sexually assault her while her mother was away.
The victim later told investigators she recalled being assaulted in multiple ways and said Brown gave her a pill he described as “a safety measure.” Investigators determined Brown had searched online for emergency contraception and visited a local Walgreens during that time frame.
Reporting and investigation
The following day, the victim told her mother that Brown had gotten “handsy” with her. The victim, her mother, and maternal grandparents recorded a conversation about what happened, but they did not report it to police. The next day, March 30, 2020, the victim confided in a friend’s mother, and the two contacted law enforcement to report the abuse.
That same day, Brown texted the victim:
“There are no words at all to say for what happened. I’m so sorry. I am very sorry for everything. That wasn’t me, that was alcohol. I would never ever ever hurt you like that sober. I hope one day you can forgive me. If there was anything I could do to make it better I would.”
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the mother’s phone, locating the recorded conversation and screenshots of Brown’s internet search history. The District Attorney’s Office said the recording was key evidence, showing the victim’s emotion as she described the assault and her family’s effort to discourage her from pursuing charges.
Prior convictions and sentencing
Brown’s criminal history includes felony convictions for drug possession, theft, burglary, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession with intent to distribute. Because of those prior convictions, the recidivist law required the judge to impose the maximum penalty.
District Attorney’s statement
District Attorney John Herbert Cranford Jr. commended the victim’s strength and the jury’s role in ensuring accountability.
“I am pleased to report that the victim is now doing well and has the support of other family members, including her father and brother,” Cranford said. “Where this victim’s mother and maternal grandparents failed her, the victim’s friends, the investigators, the prosecution team, and the jury delivered her justice. This victim and our community deserve the safety of knowing that Brown will never be released from prison.”
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