Charlotte, NC – Terry Connor Jr. and Steven Staples face murder charges in the death of Scott Brooks, a sandwich shop owner. The defendants appeared in court this week where prosecutors revealed allegations tying them to another murder case.
Brooks, 61, was killed on December 19, 2019, as he arrived at Brooks Sandwich House. Two men wearing hooded sweatshirts approached him with guns and stole approximately $100 from his wallet.
Surveillance footage captured Brooks engaging with the suspects. As he pulled out his own weapon and fired back, the suspects returned fire, killing him outside his restaurant.
Prosecutors said Connor and Staples targeted Brooks’s business due to its cash-only policy. They are also being connected to the January 11, 2020, murders of Siojvon Joseph and Asa Shannon, both aged 35.
Joseph and Shannon were found dead from gunshot wounds in a vehicle in Charlotte. Evidence suggests Connor’s brother, Everette Connor, assisted in the killings.
Prosecutors aimed to show a pattern of violence involving the defendants during this week’s trial. Police officers discovered a ransacked home near the scene of Joseph’s and Shannon’s deaths, where they found hidden cellphones and weapons.
Both Connor and Staples have entered not guilty pleas in relation to Brooks’s death. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case next week, while the case involving Joseph and Shannon remains pending.
Brooks was remembered as a man who easily made friends through his business, which he co-owned with his brother since its establishment by their father in 1973.