Parole Again Denied in 2001 Domestic Violence Murder
At a virtual hearing on June 12, 2024, TCDA prosecutors secured a 5-year denial of parole for Eddie Brown, age 62, in the 2001 murder of a Visalia woman. Brown is currently serving his life sentence at California State Prison, Corcoran.
Brown and the victim, 33-year-old Bridget Colmore, had been in a relationship for two years. After a breakup, Brown would call the victim frequently. Brown had a history of violence in relationships, sometimes terrorizing girlfriends when they tried to end a relationship. In the early evening of September 11, 2001, Brown called the victim while she was at home with her children. After talking to him, she told her children she would be right back and went to the suspect’s apartment. She was not seen alive again. Visalia Police Department officers took a missing persons report the next day.
Through investigation, officers found blood stains in several rooms of Brown’s apartment. On September 29, 2001, Brown was arrested at a gas station in southern California. Relatives of Brown with whom he had been staying said that he brought newspaper clippings of the victim’s disappearance with him. On October 2, 2001, a body was found in a shallow grave outside of Tulare. The body was verified as the victim. An autopsy report revealed the cause of death as assault and strangulation.
In 2009, after numerous court delays at the behest of the defendant, a jury convicted Brown of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 25 years-to-life in prison.
This was Brown’s second parole denial under California’s elder parole statute. Parole commissioners noted that Brown struggled to express his need to change, lacked self-awareness, and showed anger when prosecutors asked clarifying questions.
The Office of the District Attorney regularly attends life parole hearings and a chief deputy district attorney argued against his release.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Assistant District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494