Former NFL player Sergio Brown has pleaded not guilty in connection to the murder of his 73-year-old mother. As The Shade Room previously reported, Brown was arrested and charged in October after his mother’s dead body was discovered in September.
RELATED: Sergio Brown Reportedly In Police Custody In Connection To His Mother’s Death, Charged With First-Degree Murder
More Details Regarding Sergio Brown’s Plea & What’s Next
According to TMZ, Brown appeared before an Illinois Cook County judge on Wednesday, December 6. Prosecutors report that the 35-year-old entered a not-guilty plea in connection to the murder of his mother, Myrtle Brown.
Additionally, the former NFL player entered is also pleading guilty to concealing his mother’s dead body.
CNN reports that the next proceeding in the case will be a status hearing scheduled for January 24, 2024.
CBS News adds that Brown is being held without bail in Cook County Jail as he awaits the start of his trial.
What Happened To Sergio Brown’s Mother?
As The Shade Room previously reported, Myrtle Brown was discovered after being reported missing by a second son on September 16. CBS News adds that the mother’s was found “100 to 150 feet away” from the backdoor of the Maywood home she and Sergio shared.
Additionally, the outlet reports that her body was “wrapped in a sheet in tall grass near a creek.”
According to the outlet, authorities believe that Brown was killed after 6 p.m. on September 14 by “blunt force trauma.” Furthermore, DNA evidence found under the mother’s fingernails has reportedly been linked to her Sergio and an unidentified man.
“Cameras in the area captured the offender burning items in a firepit on the evening of September 14,” Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney Jose Villarreal revealed, per CBS News. “Police later found burnt fabric in this same firepit.”
From there, authorities say Sergio Brown purchased “a one-way ticket to Cancun.”
“The offender booked a one-way ticket to Cancun on September 15 at around 3 a.m.,” Villarreal explained. “An Uber driver drove the offender to the airport early on September 15, and he flew out of Chicago that same morning.”
Additionally, when Brown left the crime scene, he allegedly was in possession of his mother’s items.
“A search of victim’s residence revealed suspect Ajax and cleaning products in the bathtub drain – possibly indicative of it recently being cleaned. The victim’s iPad, credit cards and phone were missing, but her cigarettes were left behind,” Villareal added.
“U.S. Customs and Border Patrol out of San Diego recovered victim’s cellphone, iPad, and numerous credit and bank cards in victim’s name from a bag that the offender was carrying.”
When Brown landed in Cancun, Mexico, he allegedly used his mother’s credit cards to purchase Airbnbs — one of which was located in what authorities believe was his next travel destination: Medellin, Colombia.
More Details Regarding The Former NFL Player’s Arrest
Before Sergio Brown would leave Mexico, he would take to Instagram to call his mother’s death “fake news,” per Deadspin.
On October 7, after Brown boarded a plane to leave Mexico, he was detained by authorities. Footage captured Brown alleging he was being kidnapped.
Furthermore, the former NFL player was deported to San Diego, California.
Then Brown was extradited to Maywood, Illinois, to face the criminal charges, per CNN.
According to CBS News, a public defender for Brown has alleged the evidence found against him in connection to his mother’s murder “is circumstantial.”
CNN reports that Sergio Brown played for the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Bills.
