Clyde Burrell, 66, a Black man from Baltimore, Maryland, was shot dead on April 16, 2018, inside the East Baltimore home where he lived with a woman identified by police as her longtime girlfriend, Rona Brand. Around 4:00 p.m. that Monday, officers responding to a reported shooting on the 1700 block of East Federal Street found both adults with gunshot wounds to the head in the living room.

Investigators focused on Rona Brand’s nephew, Tavon Brand, who had been living in the house’s basement. Police say he was located within hours, admitted to killing both victims, and led detectives to the handgun, which was recovered under a mattress roughly two blocks from the home. Brand was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and multiple firearm offenses; he pleaded not guilty and not criminally responsible.

A bifurcated bench trial produced convictions on the murder and gun charges after the court rejected an insanity defense tied to psychosis associated with intoxicating substance use. The convictions were upheld on appeal in a decision filed December 15, 2020.