Xavier A. Brown

Death Penalty Information Center Info

Brief Case History

Brown was sentenced to death for a contract killing committed in Hattiesburg, MS. Brown was found to have murdered Felicia Newell in February 1998 after being contracted to do so by her ex-husband, Anthony Sims. Sims’ motive is believed to have been to prevent Newell from testifying against him in court for a concealed weapons charge. A voicemail left by Sims for Newell was found in which Sims told Newell that “There’s a contract out on you.” Two days after she was murdered, Sims committed suicide via prescription drug overdose and both cases were closed. Over a year later, the police discovered that Brown had bragged to a friend about the contract killing. The police were able to corroborate this testimony with that of two eyewitnesses given shortly after Newell’s murder.

via Mississippi Department of Corrections; My Crime Library