Jury Finds Brown Guilty of First-Degree Murder, Armed Burglary

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Randall Brown guilty of First-Degree Murder and Armed Burglary with Assault or Battery. The State is seeking the death penalty for Brown’s crimes. With the verdict, the penalty phase will begin Dec. 13, 2023, before the Honorable London Kite.

Between 1-3 a.m. Aug. 3, 2021, the victim and his girlfriend awoke at his residence to the smell of gasoline and smoke. They discovered the front door was on fire. The victim opened the door to find Brown pouring gasoline on the door frame and lighting it on fire. Brown then attacked the victim and stabbed him more than 80 times. Brown’s attack moved from the front entrance to the kitchen as the victim was defenseless. Around 3 a.m., the victim’s girlfriend called 911 to report the fire and stabbing. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue arrived on scene and attempted life-saving measures, but the victim died from his injuries. Officers began their search for Brown; with the help of K9s and detectives, a red plastic gas container, a backpack, a knife, and the victim’s shirt were found a block from the scene along with a GPS tracking device registered to Brown. The victim’s blood was found in Brown’s car.

Investigators with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office discovered the girlfriend — Kissy Mackey —broke off her relationship with Brown a few weeks prior. Around the same time as the breakup, Mackey’s son died, and she told Brown she was about to be rich. Brown knew Mackey was already dating another man and he attempted to win her back. Brown put the tracking device on Mackey’s car to find out where she was sleeping at night. Just over a day before the murder, Brown searched on Google how to kill someone with a knife then made other incriminating searches before and after the murder. Mere hours after the crime, Mackey changed her Facebook status to “in a relationship” with Brown.

Mackey is charged with Accessory After the Fact. She is being prosecuted separately.

The case was investigated by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Lauren Randall and Dan Skinner.