Two Quick Quizes...

You're having dinner with an old friend at his luxurious chateau. At some point, he pulls a gun on you and fires. The gun jams, what do you do?

A. Run for the border.

B. Knock the gun from his hand and throw it in the shrubbery as you hastily leave.

C. Pen a blog about proper dining etiquette.

D. Stab your host multiple times, slit his throat, take the gun and shoot him in the back of the head, then steal a car to escape law enforcement.

E. Option "D" plus stab his girlfriend for good measure.

Let's just say if you picked "E" as Shannon Brewer did, you may have good reason to fear a Capital Murder indictment.

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Zombies are attacking the White House, Capitol Building, and Pentagon. What's your best bet to receive immediate news updates?

A. Fox News reporters who blame the Democrats.

B. ABC where news execs are desperately trying to channel the ghost of Peter Jennings.

C. Your great-aunt Ethel who dated a congressman while working in D.C. during WWII.

D. Tweets from visiting tourists caught in the crossfire since they thought the whole thing was part of a normal congressional debate.

In today's world, the savvy person chooses "D." Fox, ABC, and all other news outlets have their own desk jockey monitoring the wonderful world of Twitter. Your second best bet would be a local blog where the writers will add astute insight on the back story without fear of losing their jobs. Not the 1918 New York Times, is it?

We regularly read comments from a vocal few who claim such local publications as the Quad-Cities Daily and Pen N Sword aren't "real" news outlets. This week, the QCD scooped the TimesDaily on both arrests in the Dorian Hamilton murder case, while PNS is the only publication to mention the alleged attempted rape on the UNA campus. No, it's not 1918 anymore. Hats off to both Internet news sources.

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Pen N Sword

Shoalanda

Stab & Dash/What If?

An account of Shannon Paul Brewer's attack on Daniel Jackson in the victim's own words:

Yes, he did (stab me) at my house. It was an altercation with his brother (Jerry Lee Brewer) who was urinating on my dog's pen. I asked him to go in and use the bathroom and he said "f*** you." Then I asked him again (and) he gave me the same answer and came at me.

I shoved him down (and) Shannon stepped out from behind a tree and started stabbing me in the chest and arm. I punched him to the ground before I realized I was stabbed. I ran up my steps and got duct tape and plastic wrap because my muscle was hanging out of my arm. I didn't even know I had a baseball size hole in my chest.

I was told by Florence police that he was going to jail then and that they would handle the case as attempted murder since I (was stabbed seven times and) lost four pints of blood and almost died. If Florence police would have done something that day then this man (Mark Dishon) would still be alive.

My arm goes numb sometimes and I can't use it. (Shannon) needs to be locked up for the rest of his life. His brother is just as evil as he is. They need to get him before he kills someone too. I hope my info can help him be put away this time since nothing was done when my life was almost ended.

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Jerry Lee Brewer

We've been asked why the case wasn't prosecuted, particularly since Brewer ran from the scene. At the time of the attack, Shannon Brewer would have been 22 and his brother Jerry would have been 21. If they had no previous records, it would have strictly been their word against Mr. Jackson's. We are going to assume the district attorney's office did not feel there was a case or a grand jury did not indict Brewer.

In the murder of Mark Dishon (Shannon Brewer's second stab and dash), the state will ask for an indictment of Capital Murder. If convicted, no matter the jury's recommendation, a judge will almost always hand down the death penalty. We realize the Brewer brothers' family members are hurting, but the stabbing death of Mr. Dishon is much more than a "mistake" as they have termed it.

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From J. Redmon:

This really bugs me: As a former law enforcement officer I constantly ran 'what if?' scenarios through my mind while on duty.  It was a way to stay focused and attuned to my surroundings and constantly changing situations.

WHO leaked the arrival time of the Brewer brothers to friends and family? Was the leak 'authorized'? Whoever leaked the information, or authorized it, violated every aspect of 'operational security'.  How hard would it have been for a friend/family member of the murdered individual to have been sitting in any of the nearby parking lots with a rifle in order to exact a little 'revenge'? What if said individual had missed the intended target and wounded/killed an innocent bystander or officer? What if........?

Tomorrow we'll look at public defenders in Alabama.



Shoalanda

Not Shannon Brewer's First (Knife) Rodeo

It was Halloween 2009; Shannon Paul Brewer, a young husband and father, was arguing with a Florence man, Daniel Jackson. Brewer stabbed Jackson and reportedly fled. Authorities say Brewer claimed self-defense when apprehended, and Jackson refused to testify against him.

Now Brewer has "repeatedly" stabbed a second victim and again claims self-defense. As we understand it, the previous arrest cannot be used against Brewer at his trial. It does help us to understand why Shannon Brewer fled the scene, stating he would never be taken alive.

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We won't be taking any more comments on the Shannon and Jerry Brewer arrests due to thinly veiled threats by the family. It's sad anyone would bring others into the mix, others who have nothing to do with this blog. It's also sad that the Brewer family sees nothing wrong with the behavior of the two brothers. Lack of responsibility seems to be at the root of this family's problems.

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We will touch on a previous comment concerning state appointed defense attorneys. Many, if not all, are on a level with any other attorney who does not take such cases. To claim otherwise is an insult to those who give much more than they receive in defending those who don't have funds to pay so-called dream teams.

For someone to say any defendant using a public defender doesn't get a fair trial is an insult not only to the attorneys, buy also the judges who hear these cases. We have no doubt the Brewer brothers will receive a more than fair trial. Will they nevertheless be convicted? We'll say yes to that also.



Shoalanda

The Brewer Brothers: What We Do & Don't Know

Shannon Brewer

There is now a Facebook Page entitled: Free Jerry and Shannon Brewer. From the site:

I'm sure everyone has seen the story on the news, but what most people don't know is that the news has twisted their story to make them look bad. Shannon killed Mark Dishon in self defense after a gun was pulled on him. He and Jerry (Bubu) ran because they were scared. They are extremely close and Bubu was only protecting his brother, and now he is looking at a 150000 dollar bond or many years in jail. Shannon has a one million dollar bond and his charge could be upgraded to capital murder which would mean life. He is 24 years old and has a 3 year old daughter. They are great kind-hearted boys who would do anything for anyone. The word needs to get out to those who don't know them and only know what the news has reported. They have been talked about for smiling and laughing while coming into the jail, but they were smiling at a 2 year old boy. That part wasn't told. The family doesn't have a lot of money, and needs all the help they can get. Please, anything will help. Also, please share stories on our page that show the character of these boys. Share this page with everyone you can. Get their stories heard. Thanks in advance for all the help and support.

Let's look at what we know and what we don't know. If any information published here should be incorrect, please contact us. The "what we think" items are not open to debate.

What We Know:

1. Shannon Brewer admittedly stabbed and killed a man with whom he was visiting, a man whose hospitality he had enjoyed several times and a man who had invited him into his home on the night he was killed.

2. Mark Dishon's ex wife was living with him and was the only witness to the altercation. She was also stabbed.

3. After stabbing Dishon, Shannon Brewer stole a gun and a heater from the Dishon residence.

4. Jerry Brewer, Shannon's brother, stole an SUV in which he drove his brother through Georgia and Florida in an attempt to escape.

5. The brothers were captured in Florida and extradited back to Florence.

6. Shannon Brewer has a three year-old child who does not live with him, nor does the child's mother.

7. Shannon Brewer has friends who defend him as being totally lovable; however, both Mark Dishon and the mother of his child do/did not agree with this supposed persona.

What We Don't Know:

1. Why Mark Dishon's ex-wife was living with him or if she has changed her account of the stabbing as the Brewer family has reported.

2. Why Shannon Brewer was not living with his family in an honorable relationship.

3. Why Shannon Brewer and Mark Dishon argued.

4. Why Shannon Brewer felt his only "out" was to kill Dishon.

5. Why Shannon Brewer ran, after stealing a gun and a heater.

6. Why Jerry Brewer aided his brother in escaping.

7. Why the brothers didn't turn themselves in after their initial adrenalin rush had subsided.

What We Think:

1. Shannon Brewer may be the kind of man who would give his shirt off his back, but isn't honorable enough to take care of a family/child he is responsible for. (Condoms and other birth control are cheap, folks. We suggest you care enough about yourself and your partner to use them.)

2. Shannon Brewer has enough problems with impulse control that he didn't manage to leave a volatile situation before it escalated, nor did he think things through before initiating his escape. This doesn't bode well for him at trial.

3. The Brewer family may be asking for money for the brothers' defense, but the State will provide a more than adequate defense attorney(s), so any intelligent person who cares about his/her own situation in life won't be donating to the fund.

4. E-Mailing the TimesDaily about incorrect info won't do any good. They rarely admit mistakes...and certainly don't acknowledge anyone whom they feel is in no position to sue.

Shoalanda

Just Where Was That Fire or...

Can anyone at the TotallyDecatur read a street sign? If any of our readers saw the photo of the Florence apartment house that burned Thursday, you may not have been able to place it from the description in the TD. The renovated home sits on the corner of Hermitage Drive and Poplar Street...not Nellie Avenue.

We realize just how easy it is to make mistakes in names, spellings, etc., but we’ve always wondered how TD staff manage to get locations so out of whack when all they have to do is look at a street sign. While on the subject of street signs, we'll congratulate the City of Florence. The vast majority of streets are labeled, not only with heavy duty signage, but with signs that actually glow in the reflection of headlamps after dark. 

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The Brewer brothers (Shannon pictured left; Jerry pictured right), recently extradited from Florida, seem to have caused quite a stir with their antics upon arrival at the Florence Detention Center as well as later at their bail hearing. Either they have both been hitting the nitrous oxide or they don't seem to realize the enormity of their current legal situation.

While the detention center is hardly a Baptist Church, we did wonder how so many friends and family were aware of the time the Brewers would reach Florence. Ronald Weems' baptism outside the county jail drew much criticism, and this parade of perps should also.

While the charge against Shannon Brewer may be upgraded to Capital Murder, Jerry faces only theft charges. It's always surprising to see the public demand the death penalty in relation to those who were presumably only aware of a crime after the fact. No matter, neither is hardly an angel, and neither seems in any position to make bail...thankfully.

Shoalanda