Teen arrested in fatal Lakewood stabbing allegedly recorded himself stomping victim

A 17-year-old boy was arrested by Lakewood police Thursday on suspicion of murder for allegedly stabbing and stomping a man who confronted him and others about a loud party at an apartment complex. Court records allege the teenager recorded at least part of the attack.

Charging documents filed Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court state Brodey Drew Brownell taunted the 64-year-old victim while he assaulted him in the early hours of Monday, then stabbed him six to seven times in the neck and head before dragging the body into a dumpster enclosure. Surveillance video allegedly captured Brownell telling others at the party what he’d done.

“I ain’t playing, bro,” Brownell allegedly said, along with admitting to the stabbing, as he ran up the stairs of the apartment complex after 3 a.m.

Prosecutors charged Brownell with first-degree murder and first-degree assault. He was to be arraigned Friday afternoon.

According to court records, he does not appear to have any prior felony convictions in Pierce County.

The News Tribune typically does not name juveniles charged with a crime. It is doing so in this case because the defendant will be charged as an adult.

The victim has not been publicly identified. Lakewood Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Charles Porche said the man was a resident of the apartment complex. Porche said detectives are still gathering evidence about how the assault began.

“It also sounds like, unfortunately, another one of those kind of random ‘you looked at me sideways’ kind of things,” Porche said.

Police responded just after 7 a.m. Monday to a report of a man dead near the dumpsters of an apartment complex in the 8100 block of 83rd Avenue Southwest, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause.

While officers investigated, police learned that an upstairs apartment 75 feet from the crime scene had been a “near constant” source of 911 calls in the last few weeks, according to the probable cause document. Complaints had reported wild parties, weapons and underage drinking.

Witnesses and a resident’s surveillance camera helped officers identify Brownell as a suspect. Charging papers allege that he showed a video of himself stomping on the victim’s head to at least two people.

Brownell was arrested in Yelm, police said. Pierce County Jail records show he was booked at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and he’s being held at Remann Hall, the county’s juvenile detention center.

It’s the fifth homicide reported in Lakewood so far this year. At this time in 2022, the city had recorded three killings.

This story was originally published August 4, 2023, 10:02 AM.