A jury has convicted Brandon Smith of first-degree reckless homicide in the death of his younger brother Justin Smith. The shooting occurred in February 2025 at their family home in Milwaukee amid a dispute fueled by the suspect's paranoia. Smith faces sentencing on June 5.
Brandon Smith, 51, was found guilty after originally facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. The incident took place in the early hours of February 26, 2025, at the family's home on the 4900 block of North 47th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their mother reported that Smith had been living with her since his divorce the previous September and had shown signs of paranoia and mental health issues, including beliefs that his brother was intimate with Smith's ex-wife and plotting to kill him, despite no evidence of such actions, Milwaukee Fox affiliate WITI reported. She noted he did not leave the house or have a job. The brothers argued around 4 a.m., with Smith accusing Justin of harboring another man to ambush him. Police responded to Smith's call but left after the situation appeared calm. The mother separated the pair, sending them to their rooms, but tensions escalated. Smith first struck his 41-year-old brother twice in the head with a hammer during a fight in the kitchen, then retrieved a handgun and shot him in the chest, according to the criminal complaint. The mother awoke to screams, intervened, and tried to aid Justin, but Smith initially refused to let her call 911. He ranted about threats from his brother, neighbors, and biblical references like Cain and Abel. Police arrived at 6:43 a.m., found Justin dead from the gunshot wound, with additional blunt force injuries to his head and face. Officers recovered the gun and arrested Smith.