In January, a judge signed off on an injunction to keep Henry Brown from going near his wife, Chericia Brown, citing an “immediate and present danger of domestic violence.”

But now we know the injunction was not enough to stop Brown from killing Chericia and their children before taking his own life.

  • Henry Brown, 30, stabbed and ran over his estranged wife
  • Brown was pursued by deputies, who found him and his 2 children dead in their car on I-4
  • Chericia Brown, 31; Henry Brown, 4; Aleah Brown, 1; all killed

Back in December 2015, Chericia Brown took Henry Brown to family court and made an emotional plea to get the judge to sign off on an injunction prohibiting him from having any contact with her. The judge also decided to allow split custody of the children.

On January 8 of this year, they sat feet away from each other as they told the judge their sides of what happened during a December fight in front of their children.  That's when Altamonte Springs police came to the Crescent Place Condo complex to investigate.

"We did have an altercation where he was pulling my hair and then back handing me a couple times," Chericia Brown said. "And then the next day he did the same thing again, pulling my hair and stuffing a sock in my mouth. That's when I decided to end this relationship."

Chericia told Judge Melanie Chase that her husband did things she never thought he would do.

In the Altamonte Springs Police report, Chericia said Henry threatened to kill her and harm their children.

"He said several times that he would find someone to kill me," she said. 

But police and the state attorney’s office ultimately decided not to press charges against Henry, citing a lack of evidence.

"This is one way I know she is getting back at me, by leaving," Henry Brown said. 

Henry admitted to having an affair, but told the judge he still wanted to be with his wife and family.

"I am especially concerned about the fact that she was locked in a closet with a sock shoved in her mouth," Judge Melanie Chase said.

"I disagree, ma'am," Henry Brown said.

"OK you and I disagree," Judge Chase said. "We're going to disagree on that. That tells me that she could very easily be in danger of domestic violence."

In a matter of 20 minutes, Judge Chase determined that Chericia could be in "immediate and present danger of domestic violence" by her husband and signed the permanent injunction, which was supposed to be in effect until January of 2017.

The permanent injunction also meant Henry Brown's ability to see his children was up to Chericia's discretion.

The burden was put on law enforcement to make sure he complied with the terms.

This injunction also required Henry Brown to surrender all firearms to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office immediately.

We reached out to their office to find out if he ever did so, or if there was any follow up to be sure he did not have a gun in his possession.

The Seminole County Sheriff's Office has not gotten back to us about that, nor has it provided any information about a possible investigation into the family through its child protective services unit.

Statement from Chief Judge John D. Galluzzo

Certain news accounts involving the homicide of Chericia Brown and her two children may have inadvertently misrepresented the facts of this case by broadcasting an interview with a local advocate for abused women.

In a televised interview, the advocate alleged that the Judge granted 50/50 time-sharing of the children to the father. In fact, this Judge actually granted 100% of the time-sharing to the mother, giving her sole discretion to allow contact with the father as she saw fit.

In the aftermath of tragic events, it is human nature to want to assign blame. However, the Judge assigned to this case did exactly what she was authorized to do under current law. She ruled timely and appropriately for the victim.

The advocate who suggested something more could be done apparently did not read the order, watch the video, or attend the hearing. Perhaps if she had, she would not have suggested that the Court could somehow be at fault in this tragedy.

In this instance, the Judge did everything in her power to enjoin Mr. Brown from having contact with his spouse and yet he did. These deaths are tragedies that a piece of paper could not prevent. Increased public awareness and more funding for facilities, such as Safe House, would go a long way towards preventing the horrible fate that Ms. Brown and her children suffered. However, suggesting that judges are somehow to blame for the tragedy is unfortunate and misplaced.

If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic abuse:

Good Samaritan still at ORMC

One of the two people who tried to help Chericia Brown is still at Orlando Regional Medical Center, recovering from injuries after Henry Brown ran over her and her helpers.

Caroline Dorton, an Orange City firefighter and paramedic, just happened to be inside the Chili's restaurant when Brown was stabbed by her estranged husband.  Dorton was off duty, but jumped into action to try to save Brown’s life.

Investigators say Dorton, and a nurse who also came out to help, were both hit by Henry Ramone Brown’s car when he came back to run over his wife.

Orange City’s fire chief says Dorton is now in the intensive care unit at ORMC with several broken bones.

“When I spoke with her on the phone she had some short-term memory loss, doesn’t really remember what happened," said Fire Chief Ronnie Long. "It’s kind of bits and pieces – but in this case that’s probably a good thing.”

The fire chief says he considers Dorton a hero for her actions.  The Orange City Fire Department is now collecting donations to help Dorton in her recovery.