What to Know
More than 45 years after the murder of Beverly Bruneau, investigators may be one step closer to figuring out who killed the 35-year-old woman. Beverly was killed in 1981, and the case was never solved.
But after the cold case was reopened in 2010, the DNA of an unknown male suspect was discovered that led to the arrest of now 79-year-old Larry Dean Brown, who was allegedly responsible for Beverly’s murder.
Beverly was found dead in February 1981.
According to court records from the Grapevine Police Department in Texas that were obtained by People, in 1981, Beverly’s boyfriend came home to find her dead with an electrical cord wrapped around her neck. At the time, her death was ruled a strangulation, and signs at the scene of the crime indicated a struggle.
At the time, Beverly owned a house with her best friend, Thelma Brown, and even though Thelma had moved out, she still paid her part of the mortgage. The home had recently been damaged in a fire that was suspected to be arson, and Thelma had allegedly been pressuring Beverly to sign fraudulent insurance documents related to the fire.
After Beverly refused to sign the documents, Thelma allegedly forged her signature following her friend’s death.
The case was reopened in 2010, which led to the soda bottle discovery.
The case remained unsolved but was reopened in 2010 so investigators could reexamine the evidence. Upon finding a DNA profile of an unknown male, Thelma’s husband, Larry Dean Brown, became a suspect, and police examined the DNA found on soda bottles and BBQ sauce bottles in his trash, and the results meant he couldn’t be ruled out.
Police had first met Larry when they were talking to Thelma about Beverly’s murder as they first investigated in 1981, but at the time, they weren’t able to connect him to the killing.
Larry Dean Brown has been taken into custody.
CBS News reported that the indictment against Larry claimed he used his hands or the electrical cord to strangle Beverly. During the original investigation, Larry refused to be fingerprinted or take a polygraph test, even though he said he would cooperate at first.
In early 2026, Larry was arrested after police set up surveillance at his Colorado home and examined his trash. He was arrested, extradited to Texas, and transported to Tarrant County Jail, and he remains there today on a $2 million bond. His attorney has filed a motion seeking to reduce that amount.
“The arrest follows an extensive investigation by detectives and represents a significant development in the case,” said a statement from the Grapevine Police Department, via People. “As part of the ongoing investigation, additional forensic testing, including confirmatory DNA analysis, is pending. Investigators are awaiting those results before releasing further details.”
READ NEXT: Scott Peterson Documentary Prompts Emotional Response From Laci Peterson’s Mom
