Case Profiles
Shedding light on New England cases of people of color that did not receive adequate media attention and coverage. Oftentimes these kinds of cases are under-investigated and under-reported, especially because the resources and media attention are usually dedicated to white cases and tragedies. While those cases absolutely deserve those resources, it leaves many other cases out of the conversation. These cases are ones that did not have enough information for us to dedicate entire episodes to, but they still deserve to be talked about and shared especially as most are unsolved.
Joseph Willie Brown
38-year-old Joseph Willie Brown was fatally shot in the driveway of his home on July 17th, 2016 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. First responders had arrived on scene shortly after 2:00 a.m. and determined that Joseph had died of a single gunshot wound to his chest. His death was quickly ruled a homicide. Joseph was originally from Allentown, PA and worked as a painter in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was a proud member of both the South Congregational Church in Springfield and the Black Father's Coalition in Holyoke and loved playing chess. He was one of fifteen children and had five beautiful kids of his own. Joseph was added to the Massachusetts cold case deck of cards in hopes that someone would come forward with information. Anyone with any information is asked to please call 1 (855) MA-SOLVE or send an email to mspunresolved@pol.state.ma.us.
Image and information sources:
masslive.com - “Joseph Brown slaying: Police seek answers in 2016 cold case of Western Mass. man found dead in driveway”
obits.masslive.com - “Joseph W.L Brown”