SOUTHPORT, Indiana — The man convicted of murdering a Southport police officer took the first official steps to appealing his case.
Jason Dane Brown filed an official notice with the Indiana Court of Appeals and asked the trial court to prepare the transcript and other paperwork required for the appeal.
Brown is currently in the New Castle Correctional Facility serving 55 years in prison.
Brown’s attorney, Valerie Boots, filed a notice last week that he plans to appeal, but that paperwork does not detail exactly what is being appealed or the grounds for that appeal.
In February, a judge found Brown guilty of murdering Lt. Aaron Allan, 38, in July 2017. Allan and an officer with the Homecroft Police Department were responding to a crash near Madison Avenue and Maynard Drive. Brown’s car was upside down, and as Allan was reaching in to help, Brown started shooting. Witnesses said Brown continued to fire as Allan tried to crawl away. Investigators said Allan was shot 11 times.
In May, the judge sentenced Brown to 58 years in prison, with three years suspended. He was also sentenced to one year for possessing marijuana, and that year will be served at the same time.
Initially prosecutors wanted to seek the death penalty, but when Brown agreed to waive a jury trial, that possibility was taken off the table. Prosecutors then wanted the possibility of life without parole as a sentence. However, during the trial, the judge ruled that prosecutors had not built a case for a life without parole sentence.
In closing arguments during the murder trial, the prosecution argued Brown was likely on drugs when he shot and killed Allan.
The defense argued Brown had suffered a seizure and was not in control of his actions. Brown’s attorney’s also argued that he did not know Allan was a police officer.
The judge ultimately decided that, while Brown may or may not have known Allan was an officer, Brown knew what he was doing when he pulled his gun and fired it multiple times.