Trigger Warning: The article contains graphic details of murder and trauma. Reader discretion is advised.
Imagine what it’s like for a teenager to choose between their parents? That’s precisely what happened with a 15-year-old Aliesha Brown back in 2020, after she and her two younger siblings became witnesses to one of the most horrific and chilling crimes.
Well, the Brown family’s kids ended up being forced spectators as their father, Joshua Brown, painfully beat their mother over the course of two days, ultimately leading to her gruesome death. Aliesha’s two other siblings were merely 14 and 9-year-olds at that time, and they couldn’t help save their mother from meeting such a tragic end.
The Oklahoma City Court is currently dealing with one of the most shocking cases where a middle-aged man murdered his wife, with their kids being bystanders to the crime. Moreover, he shockingly even asked them to clean the mess caused inside their home, as a result of the excessive violence that Joshua Brown meted out on his wife, Shawntae. While currently, he is directed to serve a rigorous four-life sentence without the slightest possibility of parole, the culprit’s daughter has finally broken her silence on the trauma and psyche she’s been dealing with over all these years.
Back on September 30, 2025, Aliesha was brave enough to dial 911 and inform the authorities about their father, as they helplessly witnessed him murder their mom right before their eyes. The deputies, who arrived at their house minutes after the call was dispatched, found the area smeared with blood on floors, rugs, walls, and practically everywhere. More shockingly, they discovered the body of Joshua Brown’s wife, Shawntae, who, as per preliminary observations, had been dead for a good couple of hours.
As per a report by the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office to PEOPLE, despite Joshua warning his kids not to tell a soul about the misdeed he committed, there was substantial evidence that he was the one who tortured, abused, and finally killed his wife. More shocking was when they learnt that the culprit had even asked his three kids to clean up the mess, including signs of struggle and blood from the crime scene. Right at that time, based on the evidence, the OCSO arrested Joshua on the spot, after charging him with complaints of domestic assault and battery.
An Oklahoma County judge sentenced Joshua Brown to four life terms for killing his wife and abusing their children in Spencer. His daughter, Aliesha, says justice brings some peace after five long years.https://t.co/RIxwcmqXbY pic.twitter.com/294ZB31lkG
— News 9 (@NEWS9) October 30, 2025
The secondborn kid of Joshua and Shawntae had, back then, revealed that they had seen their father torture their mother for two days. The child alleged that their father used a shoe, a belt, and even a semi-automatic weapon on his wife, as well as a heavy flag pole, likely so, since the investigators found out that the victim’s body was covered with serious injuries, including brutal contusions and lacerations.
Five years later, the Oklahoma court sentenced Joshua to four life sentences without parole. Incidentally, his initial case of murder led him to receive a death penalty, which the court replaced only after his kids pleaded with him to be left imprisoned for the rest of his life. They had lost one parent and did not want the other to be dead as well.
Fast forward to now, the eldest daughter, Aliesha Brown, broke down outside the courtroom, recalling the course of incidents that have followed ever since.
Recalling the trauma she has been dealing with growing up, she said, “It’s been a long journey, and I’ve grown a lot since then. Obviously, I was a kid and now I’m a young adult, but it’s not going to get any easier. Knowing justice has been served and due process has been done, I can finally get some peace.”
Addressing her and her siblings’ plea for not getting their father’s death penalty, she added, “We have a lot of good memories as well as bad memories with him”, as she revealed how not everyone in their family agreed with the move. However, they did take such a step, owing to the complicated relationship with their father.
