Dad Wins Custody of Kids, Then Killed Moments After At Parents House

A father was shot to death by his ex-wife’s boyfriend after leaving a court hearing where he won custody of his children, according to his family in Virginia. Alex Brown, 29, was shot outside his mother and stepfather’s home in Louisa around 3:20 p.m. on May 9 after returning from the hearing, where he was awarded custody of his two sons, according to police and a GoFundMe page created by family members. The suspect, David Branham, 36, was also “involved” in the custody dispute, according to a news release from the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office. Before the killing, he shot into a vehicle that Brown was in with “several others,” the release says.

Branham is charged with murder and attempted malicious wounding, according to the sheriff’s office. Additional charges are pending, and he is being held without bond. No attorney information was available for Branham online. Brown’s mother, Suz McKoy, wrote on Facebook that Brown was in a custody dispute with his estranged wife and that Branham, who is her boyfriend, was not involved. She also wrote that the shooting into the car occurred about five minutes before Branham “chased (Brown) down and killed him.”