A West Virginia woman arrested in a bizarre home invasion Sunday night is also accused of murdering a 69-year-old pastor over the weekend, police said. Camille Brown, 19, was charged Monday with first-degree murder. She was already jailed for breaking and entering and disorderly conduct, said Beckley police Detective Morgan Bragg. He said Brown lived about a half-mile away from the home of victim Ronald Browning, a hospital chaplain, but did not know him. "I would have to say this is one of the most disturbing cases I've seen," Bragg told NBC News. "We’ve yet to determine a true logical motive for what was done."
Police say Brown entered Browning's home on Saturday morning and attacked him with a weapon. He suffered blunt force trauma to his neck and head as well as multiple broken bones. His wife found him later that day. As Beckley police continued to investigate Browning's death, another home in the neighboring town of Mabscott reported a break-in around 6:45 p.m. ET Sunday. When officers arrived, the suspect — later identified as Brown — was still inside the home, covered in her own feces and blood. Police said she defecated and urinated in her pants as they tried to question her.
Bragg said Brown had wounds to her hands, and she was taken to the hospital. During that time, she allegedly told officers that she had killed a man with gray hair. She's also accused of trying to bite a patrolman on the way to the hospital. There was no evidence that Brown was under the influence of drugs, Bragg said, and she had no known criminal history.
Browning's co-workers at Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley were reeling Monday from the news of his death. They told NBC affiliate WVVA that the pastor was known for his calming presence. "He had a way of knowing if you were feeling bad," Debbie Peyton told the station, "and always tried to make you feel better."
