Fond du Lac man sentenced to life in prison for 2022 fatal shooting of Brandon Johnson

FOND DU LAC – Timothy Brown, 33, has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2022 fatal shooting of Brandon Johnson.

Judge Tricia Walker sentenced Brown May 17 with no eligibility of release for first-degree intentional homicide with use of a dangerous weapon.

For the count of possession of a firearm while convicted of a felony, Brown was sentenced to five years of initial confinement and five years of extended supervision.

Brown was arrested Aug. 22, 2022, and convicted in January 2024 after a five-day jury trial.

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According to the criminal complaint, Johnson was found dead the morning of Aug. 20, 2022, on the sidewalk area of Marquette Street. He had been shot four times, two at close range.

Johnson had been celebrating his 40th birthday the night of Aug. 19, and investigators learned through surveillance video footage and witness statements that Johnson tried to enter Leon's Corner Pub from the beer garden at 3:01 a.m.

An employee stopped him because the bar was closed, and the same employee also spoke with Brown, who was inside the beer garden with them.

Johnson and Brown got into an argument, which grew physical as multiple people in the beer garden tried to diffuse the situation and hold Brown back, according to the complaint.

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Brown and Johnson left the pub at 3:09 a.m., followed by two witnesses from the beer garden. The witnesses stopped following when Brown and Johnson headed north on Marquette Street.

Shortly before 3:15 a.m., surveillance videos and audio recorded four gunshots. Brown then left the area of the shooting, appeared to try to "hide from a passing vehicle," then arrived at his home a few blocks away by 3:15 a.m., the complaint said.

The Fond du Lac Police Department investigated the case, and Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney and Assistant District Attorney Gordon Leech prosecuted.

Why we cover courts: This report is part of The Reporter's mission to fulfill our obligation to follow criminal cases from arrest to their conclusion. The aim is to shine a light on the criminal justice process so readers can see how publicly funded law enforcement and courts function.

Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com.