Shelby County Jury Convicts Man of First-Degree Murder in 2021 Killing of Wife

Shelby County, TN — A Shelby County jury has convicted Robert Washington of First-Degree Murder for the October 27, 2021, killing of his wife, Trenecia Brown. Following the guilty verdict, Criminal Court Judge Lee V. Coffee sentenced Washington to life in the Tennessee Department of Correction.

The proof at trial showed that Washington forced his way into Brown's apartment and fatally stabbed her while the couple's 2-year-old daughter was present. After the attack, Washington took the child from the apartment and later left her safely with her grandmother. Memphis Police officers responding to the scene found Brown deceased inside the apartment.

Assistant District Attorneys Brittany Neal and Monica Timmerman prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Tennessee.

"This was an especially brutal act of violence that forever changed the lives of everyone who loved Trenecia, especially her young daughter," said Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy. "While no verdict can undo that loss, we hope this conviction and sentence bring a measure of justice and closure to her family."

Judge Lee V. Coffee presided over the case in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 7.