The youngest of the 4 Brown brothers, Terrance Boogaloo Brown followed in the steps of his notorious older brothers by joining them in their quest for street fame, riches and the elimination of their foes. Terrance found himself in charge of the gangs enforcement wing following the murders of Ezra and Gregory in December of 1986 and the incarceration of family leader Reggie shortly thereafter. Terrance wasted no time in establishing himself a reputation for violence worthy of the Brown name in the often brutal streets of Detroit with the murder of James Lamont on March 16,1989. The then 20 year old Terrance received a death sentence for encroaching on Best Friends territory and going so far as to raid the gangs membership to beef up his own organization following the death of Maserati Rick Carter 5 months before. With older brother in prison sentenced to life for the murder of Steve Roussell, Boogaloo orchastrated and then carried out Lamont's murder outside of the St.Regis Hotel in the New Center area.
The brazen attack placed Terrance Brown atop the wish list for every law enforcement officer and task force member in Detroit. Prior to the Lamont shooting Terrance Brown had a clean arrest record inspite of his entanglement in the complicated affairs surrounding the transition of Best Friends leadership in 1988-89.
A Wanted Man
For more than a year Terrance Brown flustrated the efforts of law enforcement officials looking to nab him for his murderous deeds. Terrance quickly became one of the most sought after criminals in the motor city after a rash of shootings connected with Best Friends raked the city. News articles tracking the death toll ran weekly recounting the latest shootout or unidentified body found in an alleyway or side street. Terrance turned himself him and was eventually tried and acquitted in the Lamont murder and returned to the side of his older brother Reggie who had emerged from prison after having a previous murder conviction overturned and was released in February of 1992 on bond.
Reggie's freedom shood have been short lived as the bond was revoked the following month but the gang leader disappeared along with his brother and several close associates. As authorities looked high and low for the murderous pair, Reggie Brown proved his violent reputation was well deserved when he was spotted 3 months later on Buckingham Street. The notoriety of Brown made him an easily recognizable figure especially within Best Friends territory and he made no effort to conceal his identity as he walked up to the home of Alfred Austin exchanging pleasantries along the way with neighbors moments before opening fire on Austin and 2 other people standing nearby. Once the barrage had ceased, Alfred Austin "an associate of Terrance Brown who was facing weapons charges in Kentucky and was rumored to be considering a plea deal with prosecutors looking to build an airtight case against the Browns," was the first to fall, Harry Roper and Lawrence Gainey were targeted because they were potential witnesses to the attack.
The final victm was 3 year old Lori Roper the daughter of Harry who was hit by a stray bullet. 5 days later a new warrant was issued by Magistrate Richard Halloran Jr. of the 36th district court charging Reginald Brown with 4 counts of murder in the first degree. Both Brown brothers fled Detroit and took refuge in New York where they were spotted in June of 1993. The notorious Reginald Brown was taken into custody along with William Wilkes "another wanted criminal," as he attempted to enter a car. His brother Terrance was spotted in the area but made his escape on a motorcycle. During the movie like chase, Terrance struck a pedestrian before making his escape by disappearing into a subway tunnell.
You Reap What You Sow
With a possible life sentence hanging in the balance, Terrance Boogaloo Brown continued to operate within the drug world securing $600,000 in cash from his attorney Paul Curtis to transact a drug purchase in Atlanta Georgia in August of 1993. The last remaining member of the notorious Brown family which left such a lasting impression on Detroit's Eastside was found wrapped in a plastic bag and a bed sheet bound with masking tape in the back of a stolen pickup truck in the parking lot of teh Ramada Renaissance Hotel in College Park, Georgia. Brown had been shot once in the head at an undisclosed location and transported to the parking lot by a man caught on the hotels security camera. The man was then joined by another man and the duo escaped undetected in another vehicle.
Terrance Brown's body lay unidentified in an Atlanta morgue for nearly a week before authorities were able to place an identity on him. The case remains unsolved and the only information released by investigators was that Brown had been found wearing only his underwear and a black T-shirt. Terrance Brown was only 25 years old when he was murdered but had lived a life filled with violence and grief.
