Inset: Keith Brown (St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department). Background: The Starbucks and its drive-thru on 2350 South Grand Blvd. in St. Louis, Missouri (Google Maps).
A man in Missouri is accused of killing and robbing a beloved figure skating coach at a Starbucks drive-thru days after committing multiple other armed robberies.
Keith Brown, 58, faces a multitude of charges, including first-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, three counts of first-degree robbery, and unlawful possession of a firearm, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. He is accused of killing 28-year-old Sam Linehan, local NBC affiliate KSDK reported.
The defendant was denied bond during a court hearing on Friday.
On Feb. 6, a mother and her daughter were in the drive-thru of a Jack in the Box restaurant located on 2163 South Grand Blvd. in St. Louis. According to a probable cause statement for Brown”s arrest, he “pointed a firearm” into the woman’s vehicle, stole a 9 mm handgun, her purse containing bank cards, and both her and her daughter’s cellphones.
Two days later, about eight miles north, Brown went into a Dollar General store and pointed a gun at the cashier, “demanding and receiving money,” police said, adding that during both incidents, “he discharged his firearms.”
On Tuesday, Brown went to the Starbucks on 2350 South Grand Blvd. in St. Louis. There, Linehan is said to have been sitting in her vehicle in the drive-thru, the court document goes on. The defendant allegedly pointed a gun at Linehan and “demanded she raise her hands before he shot and killed her.” He then stole bank cards and her driver’s license, police said.
Surveillance footage captured all three incidents, authorities said, claiming Brown wore a neon safety vest and a hard hat during each robbery. When they executed a search warrant at his home, they found the vest and hat, as well as “stolen items” from the victims and “suspected narcotics.”
The probable cause statement adds that the defendant is a convicted felon for first-degree robbery “for which he has absconded while being on Parole.” He was taken into custody at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday, according to KSDK.
Brown has a confined docket hearing scheduled for Thursday, and is set to have a preliminary hearing on March 11.
Linehan was a coach for the Metro Edge Figure Skating Club. The organization sent a message to its members about the loss.
“It is with deep sadness that I share heartbreaking news about Coach Sam,” the statement obtained by KSDKÂ reads. “We were informed yesterday afternoon that Coach Sam died as a result of the shooting near Tower Grove. This is an unimaginable loss for our community, and we know this news will be difficult for many of our skaters and families to process.”
