NORFOLK, Va. — The death penalty is not off the table for a Navy veteran charged with killing a Virginia woman whose kidnapping inspired the creation of an Amber Alert-like system for missing adults.
Eric Brian Brown was arrested last year in connection with the September 18, 2017 kidnapping of 19-year-old Ashanti Billie.
Her body was found about 330 miles away from Norfolk, in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to The Virginian-Pilot, she was last seen outside a sandwich shop at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, where she worked.
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The 46-year-old Brown is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death and assault resulting in serious bodily injury and theft. A murder warrant from North Carolina remains unserved.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney for Virginia’s eastern district tells The Virginian-Pilot no decision has been made regarding whether to seek the death penalty.
Brown has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and isn’t currently competent to stand trial.
