James Henry Guilty.jpg
James Edward Henry pleaded guilty to murder in the 2012 killing of 54-year-old Starlanda Brown, who was mentally and physically disabled.
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When Dewayne Brown prepared to bury his murdered brother in 2012, he was confident the person who beat and stabbed his brother more than 100 times would one day be found and brought to justice.
With that in mind, he bought matching shirts - one for his brother, to wear in the casket, and the other for himself, to wear when the day came that he faced his brother's killer.
That day came Friday when James Edward Henry, 60, pleaded guilty to the savage murder of 54-year-old Starlanda Brown. Dewayne Brown was there, wearing that shirt he bought nearly four years ago.
"Today was a very emotional day,'' Dewayne Brown told AL.com. "The shirt that I wore is an exact copy of the shirt he has on in his casket. I was able to tell (Henry) that so he can remember Starlanda while he is in prison."
Starlanda Brown's body was discovered inside his home about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. A security guard found Brown, who was mentally and physically disabled, at his home in the 500 block of Center Place South.
Family members were told he was found with a gash to the back of his head. They later learned the attack was so brutal that Brown's heart was pierced and both of his eyeballs punctured. He also had a fractured skull from the blow of a hammer.
Relatives all along suspected robbery was the motive. The victim's sister, Vikki Davis, told AL.com shortly after the murder that she last saw her brother about 3:30 p.m. the day before he was killed. Each month, Davis cashed her brother's check for him and delivered him the cash.
"I told him now put up your money. I told him that every month," she said. "Somebody had to know he had a couple of dollars in his pocket.''
The slaying shocked his family and those who knew him. Starlanda Brown grew in the Southtown public housing community, and moved to Titusville a few years ago. He wasn't married, and didn't have any children. "He was a nice person,'' his brother said. "And he loved his family."
At a vigil held just more than a week after Starlanda Brown was killed, it was evident he touched many lives. "If you knew Starlanda, you wouldn't have done this," said his sister Jennifer Brown. "I pray for the person who did this."
When Sherrie Kelley was living on the streets, Starlanda would share his food with her. "He didn't bother anybody," Kelley said. "He was so loving."
Susan Hatfield said she worked with Starlanda Brown, who she called her "Lil Swisher Sweet," at Julian's Cafe. Others in the crowd said they only him as "Shorty" or simply Star. "When he loved, he loved all the way," Hatfield said. "He is an angel now."
Dewayne Brown, who has been a spokesman for the family during their quest for justice, has said the family takes comfort in knowing his brother was a born again Christian. "The person that did this, killed a child of God," Brown said in 2012. "They may have taken his body from us, but they didn't take his spirit."
Henry was arrested and charged with Starlanda Brown's murder in June 2013. Originally charged with capital murder during a robbery and burglary, he pleaded guilty Friday to murder. Since he had prior felony convictions , robbery in 1974 and robbery again in 1992, he was sentenced to life in prison under Alabama's Habitual Offender Act. He apologized to the Brown family in court on Friday.
Dewayne Brown said the family is thankful justice was served and said they are grateful to the Birmingham Police Department, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office and all of the witnesses who helped bring closure to them.
"I knew this day would come, which is why I bought two of the same shirts so I could wear it when the person was caught and sentenced,'' he said.
He also said he has a message for other criminals. "For those out there doing this killing, they will find you and they will give you time to think about what you have done,'' he said. "Stop the violence."