Father Convicted for Murder of Daughter

A Los Angeles jury of six men and six women, on May 13, 2015 announced the conviction of Cameron Brown, 53, with first degree murder of his 4 year old daughter, Lauren Sarene Key, in the year 2000. Brown had thrown his child off the Pacific Ocean Cliff in order to avoid paying child support

The defense claimed that in the November of 2000, while playing at Inspiration Point in Rancho Palos Verdes, the girl tripped off the cliff measuring approximately 120 feet. However, the prosecution showed that the injuries suffered by the girl did not indicate an accidental fall. As per the prosecution, Brown threw the 4 year old girl off the cliff in order to avoid paying $1000 as monthly child support.

Brown, who was working as an airline baggage handler was tried twice before this verdict. Both times the jury was unable to conclude if he should be convicted for manslaughter or murder. While in 2006, two jurors voted to convict him of first-degree murder, eight for second-degree murder and two favoring manslaughter; in 2009, there seemed a jury split evenly between second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

This third trial included new evidence unearthed by Sheriff’s Detective, Jeffrey Leslie, which included a former co-worker of Brown testifying about conversations with him on the difficulty of paying child support. The man testified that Brown once said it would be nice if they could just get rid of the children. The prosecution too proved that the injuries to the child were “consistent with an assisted drop” and not indicative of the result of an accidental fall. The Deputy District Attorney, Craig Hum told jurors that Brown wanted Sarah Key-Marer, the mother, to get an abortion and he tried to get the British national deported. He had been paying $1,000 in monthly child support”.

Brown displayed no emotion when the judgment was being read. He now faces a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of a parole. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 19, 2015.