On June 20, 1992, 32-year-old Jose Tovar was killed during a drug-related robbery at a Houston home. Jose and his wife Rachel were targeted by a group that had been buying drugs from them. During the attack, Jose Tovar, Rachel’s 17-year-old son Frank Farias, 19-year-old Jessica Quiñones, and 21-year-old neighbor Audrey Brown were tied up and shot in the head. Rachel Tovar and another person were also shot but survived.

Authorities arrested Arthur Brown Jr., Marion Dudley, and a third accomplice and charged them in the killings, which became known as the Brownstone Lane Murders. Marion Dudley and Arthur Brown Jr. faced capital prosecution, and the third accomplice received a life sentence. Brown maintained his innocence during the legal process and his attorneys raised claims of intellectual disability and racial bias, which the courts rejected.