NORRISTOWN, Pa —Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Norristown Police Chief Mark Talbot announce the arrest of Rasheed Farrelle, 36, of Norristown with the murder of Paul Brown that occurred in Norristown on December 25, 2012.
On December 25, 2012 at 4:40 p.m., members of the Norristown Police Department responded to the report of a shooting in the rear of 120 Wayne Avenue in Norristown. Officers located the victim, Paul Brown, age 24, in the driver’s seat of a 1997 Buick Riviera, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Brown was transported to Mercy Suburban General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:50 p.m.
The autopsy report listed the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death homicide. Norristown Police and Montgomery County Detectives launched a joint investigation into the homicide. The investigation found that on the date of the murder, thirteen (13) text messages and nine (9) phone calls were exchanged between Brown and Farrelle.
The last outgoing call from Brown’s phone to Farrelle’s phone was at 4:35 p.m., minutes before the shooting. Witnesses placed the defendant in the area at the time of Brown’s killing and indicated that he was wearing a distinctive coat similar to one worn by a man seen in surveillance video recovered near the scene after the murder. A witness recently told police that in the summertime of 2013 and then again in 2015, he/she heard Rasheed Farrelle make admissions about killing Paul Brown.
A warrant was issued for Farrelle’s arrest on March 18, 2021.On April 15, 2021, law enforcement performed a stakeout near a residence they believed Farrelle was staying.
Farrelle exited the apartment and eventually entered a vehicle. As law enforcement moved in and ordered him out of the car, Farrelle instead put the car in reverse, collided with a parked car, and then accelerated directly at a Montgomery County Detective, who took evasive action to avoid being struck. The defendant attempted to turn right onto New Hope Street but because of excessive speed, drove onto the sidewalk and into a yard in the 900 block of New Hope Street in Norristown.
Farrelle’s car collided with a pickup truck that was parked in a driveway and then struck a telephone pole and came to rest in a yard. Farrelle was taken into custody without further incident.
Farrelle has been charged with First Degree Murder, Third Degree Murder, Conspiracy, and Person Not to Possess a Firearm for the homicide of Paul Brown as well as Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault and Recklessly Endangering Another Person related to his assault on the Montgomery County Detective yesterday. On April 15, 2021, he was arraigned by video before Magisterial District Judge Scott Palladino. There is no bail available for First-Degree Murder, and the defendant was remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.
Farrelle was given $50k cash bail on the complaint relating to the assault on the County Detective. The preliminary hearing is scheduled on April 21, 2021 before Magisterial District Judge Gregory Scott. The case will be prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kelly Lloyd and Assistant District Attorney William Highland.
