Minnesota Supreme Court Upheld Murder Conviction
The court affirmed Johnny Leroy Brown's murder conviction while rejecting a challenge regarding jury selection.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed the first-degree murder conviction of Johnny Leroy Brown for the 2023 shooting death of Kesha Moore. Justices rejected a legal challenge alleging racial bias in the state's use of a peremptory strike against a juror.
Why it matters
The ruling settles a dispute over whether the prosecution acted with purposeful racial discrimination during jury selection. It underscores the judiciary's application of the three-step Batson challenge process in evaluating juror strikes.
The state utilized one of its 9 allotted peremptory challenges to remove a prospective juror from a panel of 60 people, which included 3 Black jurors. The court determined the strike was valid based on discrepancies in the juror's questionnaire.
The players
Johnny Leroy Brown
He is the defendant who was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of Kesha Moore.
Kesha Moore
She was a business owner who previously employed Brown and was fatally shot in 2023.
Minnesota Supreme Court
This is the highest judicial body in Minnesota that serves as the final arbiter for state legal matters.
The details
Brown fatally shot Kesha Moore in a Minneapolis apartment on December 17, 2023. The defense had challenged the exclusion of Juror 26, citing the state's failure to strike other jurors despite similar questionnaire disclosures, but the court found the state's reasoning was not racially motivated.
Timeline
Brown and Moore began dating in 2021.
Moore employed Brown at her business in 2022.
Johnny Leroy Brown shot Kesha Moore on December 17, 2023.
Minnesota eliminated the prima facie requirement for Batson challenges on March 1, 2025.
The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed the conviction on October 6, 2026.
Legal Context
This decision continues the application of the Batson challenge legal precedent within state courts to monitor for potential racial bias in jury selection. The ruling reflects a strict adherence to the three-step framework used to determine whether peremptory strikes are constitutionally permissible.
The affirmation of this conviction concludes the primary appellate proceedings for a high-profile local homicide case. Residents can expect no further immediate disruption to local court operations as the judicial process for this matter has reached its final state level.
The takeaway
Legal challenges regarding jury selection require defendants to prove purposeful discrimination rather than simple statistical disparity. The court's decision reinforces that documented questionnaire discrepancies provide valid grounds for peremptory strikes under state rules.
Further reading
Learn more about local legal developments at Minneapolis Criminal Justice.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Minnesota Lawyer.
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