Biography
Timothy Brown was imprisoned in Florida after being convicted of the 1990 killing of Broward sheriff’s deputy Patrick Behan. A federal court granted habeas relief in 2003. Brown was released on bail on May 14, and prosecutors dismissed the charges on June 5.
Brown was fourteen when Patrick Behan was killed and fifteen when he was arrested on July 16, 1991. Brown had an intellectual disability. He was tried as an adult and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on November 19, 1993. His case depended on a confession that he later challenged; there was no physical evidence or eyewitness testimony linking him to the killing.
In September 2002, a federal judge found that new evidence met the actual-innocence standard allowing Brown’s constitutional claims to be heard. The court granted habeas relief on March 19, 2003, directing Florida to release him or retry him within ninety days. Brown was released on bail on May 14, 2003, and the charges were dismissed on June 5.
