17-year-old Milon J. Brown has been charged with the murder of Cameron Pennywell, a 20-year-old resident of Saginaw, MI who was shot to death last weekend in the Bloomfield neighborhood. Sadly, this is the second time this week that we have shared with you an instance of a teen being charged as an adult for a crime in Michigan.
According to police, Pennywell was shot in the 1300 block of Huntley at about midnight. Saginaw police Detective Sgt. Reggie Williams says that the murder actually began as an armed robbery, where Brown held Pennywell and an 18-year-old at gunpoint while he robbed them, but then shot Pennywell and fled the scene.
Personal Beef Leads To Murder
Williams described the situations as being “rivals who had a beef over some personal relationships, that resulted in the shooting of one of them when the victim appeared at a particular location.” Pennywell was transported to hospital from the scene, but died a few hours later of his wounds.
Court records reveal that Brown has been charged with a total of eight felonies. These include single counts of First-degree premeditated murder and First-degree felony murder, two counts of Assault with intent to commit armed robbery and four counts of Possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Under Michigan law, first-degree felony murder means that someone was killed during the commission of a felony. In this case, the felony in question was the armed robbery.
According to Saginaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Boyd, because Brown is under the age of 18, Michigan law does not require that he receive the mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole if he is convicted. Automatic sentences of life without parole were outlawed recently for minor by the United States Supreme Court. While the prosecutor’s office is allowed to request this sentencing option, the judge reserves the right to refuse, and instead sentence Brown to a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of at least 60 years.
At his arraignment in the Saginaw County District Court, Brown appeared before Judge Terry L. Clark. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and the judge ordered him held in jail without bond. Brown’s preliminary hearing was scheduled to take place on July 22nd.
A teenager facing the prospect of all, or even most of their life behind bars is currently a subject of great debate here in Michigan, and with good reason. According to Michigan law, a 17-year-old is considered to be an adult, and can be sentenced as one. This can be very hard for the family and loved ones left behind. If you or a family member are a teen facing criminal charges, and are being charged as an adult, contact us immediately at 866-766-5245. We can help you through this difficult time.