A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for killing a man outside of a homeless shelter, District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced this week.
55-year-old Keith Brannon, a former resident of East New York, received the sentence after being convicted of multiple crimes, including second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree attempted robbery.
According to the district attorney, the incident involving Brannon occurred back on Aug. 8, 2015, outside of a Brownsville homeless shelter on Sackman Street between Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street.
During that day, Brannon attempted to rob 32-year-old Christopher Tennison, before ultimately shooting him point blank in the chest, causing his death. Prior to the incident, Brannon reportedly sent text messages to the victim demanding money, according to evidence.
The district attorney says that a resident that lived in the same Bronx shelter as Brannon had later discovered a gun under his bed, which would be turned over to the police.
Brannon’s DNA was found on the firearm, and ballistic tests would later prove that the same gun was used during the homicide, according to the district attorney.
After multiple eyewitness accounts, Brannon was convicted back in 2017, but the case would later be reversed because of a judicial error.
Prior to a retrial, the District Attorney’s Office, with the help of Homeland Security, tracked down the Bronx shelter resident — who didn’t testify in the original trial — in Poland.
Because the man lacked the necessary resources and documentation to travel to the U.S., the two agencies worked together to secure the necessary documents to bring the witness back to America and testify alongside other former shelter residents.
“This defendant senselessly took the life of another man and, with today’s sentence, has been held responsible for this inexcusable crime,” said District Attorney Gonzalez.
“I am grateful to the dedicated prosecutors in my office, and to Homeland Security that assisted in securing a key witness, for ensuring that justice was done in this case.”
