A Waukesha County jury returned a guilty verdict against Martha Brown, 44, in the February 2024 killing of 77-year-old Richard Platt. The conviction is for first-degree intentional homicide, and sentencing is set for November 20, where Brown may face a life prison term, as reported by FOX6 News.
Details from the trial reveal a disturbing altercation involving Brown and the victim, whom she claimed to have found with her 22-year-old non-verbal autistic son during an alleged sexual assault. The complaint states that Brown, found by police partially clothed and wearing a shower curtain in Cedarburg, admitted to responding physically to Platt's actions. Her sentencing will be influenced by a presentencing investigation to consider mitigating factors, as indicated by proceedings detailed by JSONLINE.
Brown, who had known Platt for several years and had previously lived with him, faced the court's decision after a week-long trial. In an unsettling discovery, police found Platt dead in his basement, his residence showing signs of a violent struggle. A blood-stained shower curtain liner and a broken ceramic angel were found near the body, in conjunction with Platt's injuries, suggestive of a severe beating leading to blunt force trauma and internal bleeding, as described in the criminal complaint obtained by FOX6 News.
The case has raised complex discussions about self-defense and the legal response to claims of sexual assault. In her defense, Brown recounted the chaotic series of events leading to the fatal encounter. "She said she chased Platt to the basement, where he attacked her, touched her inappropriately, and she repeatedly struck him, even as she was on top of him on the basement floor," as stated in the criminal complaint reported by WISN 12 News. The harsh reaction and resulting fatality, however, have not swayed the jury from their conviction.
