Queens District Attorney Richard Brown dies at 86
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Queens District Attorney Richard Brown died Friday night, the DA's office confirmed. He was 86 years old.
Brown was appointed the district attorney of Queens County in 1991 by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo. He served the borough for 28 years and was re-elected six times before announcing his retirement in January 2019. Brown was slated to step down in June due to increasing health problems associated with Parkinson's Disease.
Brown's office prosecuted a number of high profile New York City cases, including that of several police officers who shot Sean Bell, an unarmed black man who was killed after his bachelor party at a Queens strip club, which resulted in no convictions.
Most recently his office prosecuted and won a conviction against Chanel Lewis for the 2016 murder of Karina Vetrano, a 30-year old woman who was beaten, sexually abused and strangled while jogging near her home in Howard Beach, Queens.
"Judge Brown loved working for the people of Queens. He would often be the first person in the office and very likely the last to leave every day -- and sometimes on weekends too. He was known to visit crime scenes, meet with victims and work tirelessly to give them justice," Chief Assistant District Attorney John Ryan said in a statement.
Judge Brown is survived by his wife Rhoda, their three children Karen, Todd, and Lynn.
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