Vann Brown was senselessly murdered at the age of 39 while attending a wedding and reception on Dec 31, 2019/Jan 1, 2020. The event was held at 1200 Woodrow Harper Rd in Ambrose, GA, which is the home of Jeffrey Harper. The cause of death is said to be asphyxiation resulting from multiple blunt force trauma. You may ask yourself, how does a wedding reception end with a murder and you wouldn’t be alone asking such a question. Weddings are supposed to be blissful and full of smiles and laughter. This one, however, turned ugly with lots of anger, intoxication and murder.
Due to the current trials of this case, the information I’ve received from eyewitnesses won’t be on this post, either at all or in their entirety. I do not want to compromise the trials and am hopeful justice will be served. After verdicts are rendered I’ll do an additional post to include everything I have. Please understand that I just want justice for Vann and have no intention of dangling anything over anyone’s head. With that being said, let’s get to it!
Vann was attending the reception of Travis and Sara Heidenreich. At some point, after midnight, Vann was supposedly ordered to leave the event. Evidence during Justin Anderson’s trial, an interview video of Justin and GBI Agent Seacrist, shows Justin saying that Kelli Harper, Jeffrey’s wife, was yelling for people to get Vann off her property. He stated that she was accusing Vann of groping girls and even flirting with her. Justin claimed that he, Jason Anderson and Cam Coffee escorted Vann up the hill some 200 yards to his truck. Within a short amount of time, Jeffrey Harper and others were storming towards Vann. Cam Coffee testified that Vann argued back with Jeffrey Harper and Morgan Lewis about halfway to his truck. Coffee claims that when Vann reached his truck he cussed and was reaching for his gun. He then threw Vann to the ground, causing an injury to himself that rendered him unable to walk at the time.
Now, I have to throw my two cents in here! No one I’ve spoken with has mentioned Vann being inappropriate at all during that evening. In fact, most people have mentioned the lack of clothing worn by the young women, the way those women were acting and the amount of alcohol Jeffrey Harper and several other men had consumed since around noon that day. How much and which statements are true? Decide for yourself. Here are a couple of still shots taken from the wedding video that is posted on YouTube and a picture retrieved off social media.
Vann Brown looking confused, in my opinion. It’s almost like he’s being accused of something. The woman he’s looking at resembles Kelli Harper, but I don’t know that for sure. A still shot from the wedding video on YouTube. Vann is talking to a gentleman that I was told is possibly JP Harper. Again, I’m not 100% sure who Vann is speaking with. Another still shot from the wedding video. A few watch as he walks away. Why? I have no idea. It just struck me as odd. And another still shot. The guy in the white ball cap seems to be talking with someone as Vann looks on. I was told the woman standing next to Vann is Kelli Harper, but I honestly don’t know for sure.
Ok, so let’s get back to Vann being on the ground. According to the testimony of Annsley Coffee, someone came to the reception tent saying someone had been shot, possibly Cam Coffee. Naturally, she took off toward the scene. She said, upon arriving, Vann was on his back with Jeffrey Harper sitting on his torso. She also stated that Justin Anderson was holding Vann’s left arm down and Jason Anderson was holding his right arm down. There were, to her, two unknown men holding down Vann’s legs. As she got closer to Vann, she ordered everyone off him. She pushed Jeffrey Harper out of the way and knew immediately that Vann was dead. She claimed his pupils were dilated, no pulse and was blue in color. There was blood all around his head and Matt Lewis was carrying a bent baton.
Two cents time again! I’ve got to be careful here because I’ve been told and shown a great deal that gives me a pretty narrowed down timeline of these events. And if it hasn’t been released publicly, I don’t want to risk anything delaying or sabotaging the trials. Everyone knows Vann was short. Most of the men that have been arrested tower over him. Vann never got his hands on a gun. Never! Previous testimony proves that and Daniel Anderson, supposedly, got Vann’s gun and put it in his truck. Law enforcement retrieved it from his truck that night. (EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that I made a mistake! No excuse for it. I should’ve double checked facts! There was a gun retrieved from Daniel’s truck, but Kelli Harper actually turned over Vann’s gun to law enforcement.)So, with NO WEAPON, the assumed intention to leave the property and his size…it took 5 men to hold Vann down, beat him and ultimately cause his death??? “Excessive” doesn’t even begin to describe this horrible crime. And the bent baton?? Vann had two wounds to the top of his head caused by the baton. Matt Lewis testified that Justin Anderson told him to get rid of the baton. He took it to the woods and hid it under some pine straw. The following day Matt told law enforcement about the baton and what he did with it. So again, it took all these men to do this and claiming they only acted because he had a gun, that he in fact NEVER HAD? I just don’t buy it. I can’t. There’s more to it. There’s rumors going around and I have to tell ya, a couple of them kinda add up.
Matt Lewis plead guilty for hiding the baton. Charges were dropped on Jay Turk, which I don’t agree with. Justin Anderson was found not guilty of murder and aggravated assault and guilty of making false statements and tampering with evidence. I don’t agree with that verdict either!
Above are the mugshots of those arrested initially. Now, 911 was called at 12:50am. It was too late. Vann had already succumbed to the brutal hell he was put through in that short span of time. I don’t have much that I can share about the time after law enforcement arrived on scene except there seems to be a chunk of time the accused had to themselves instead of being hauled in immediately. I don’t think this was handled 100% professionally due to Harper’s name, his money and that good ol’ boy system. I think some people were held there until around 5am or so, including Vann’s body. But I have to say, the new development and arrest of Joey Anderson, the father of Justin and Jason, has eased my worries some. Mr Anderson attempted to tamper with the jury in his son’s trial.
The wedding video. Feel free to watch and pause frequently during the reception to look at everyone. Some things look odd…
I believe Jason Anderson’s trial is set for July 31st and Jeffrey Harper’s is set for August 29. I honestly hope for justice for Vann and his friends and family. They’ve been through hell and deserve closure.
At the end of the day, I’m glad there have been arrests made and trials underway. I just still think there’s more to this than Vann being accused of flirting and told to leave, tempers flared and tragedy unfolded. I wonder if there was something beforehand that happened and caused hostility. I’ll be sure to add an additional post in the future. And remember, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I’ve made no remarks about who I think is responsible for anything. I just stated that it doesn’t add up to me, I don’t agree wholeheartedly with dropped charges and the last verdict and I don’t understand it taking that many men to subdue one individual.
Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to speak with me. I really appreciate your help and dedication to Vann and his family.
Trying to find those responsible for Terry’s murder has been quite a journey. There is now an updated timeline, that I will include below, plus several pieces of crucial information given by witnesses that have come forward. As always, those who have shared their information and given statements will remain completely anonymous. I will also include information about certain aspects that show that this is indeed a homicide case.
Updated timeline of Terry’s final hours
~April 20, 2002 @ 12:30-1:30pm- Terry, along with James Kirby, stops to clean up, change clothes and head to the Redbreast Festival.
~2:00pm- They arrive at the festival and Terry meets up with his girlfriend. Kirby’s girlfriend wasn’t feeling well and had a headache. She chose to stay in the truck while the two guys went into the festival. Throughout the day, Terry went to check on her and see if she wanted to join them or get something to drink or eat.
~5:30pm- Terry’s girlfriend leaves the festival to go to work. She has verified that Terry had his cellphone, backpack, wallet and gold cross necklace in his possession.
~8:30pm- Terry calls Jessica Taylor to confirm their plans after the festival.
~9-9:30pm- Terry and James Kirby fight. The fight was supposedly over two things: Kirby owed Terry money for work and had not been paying him and the fact the Kirby’s gf had stayed in the truck at the festival but Kirby was flirting with women instead of being with her and/or taking her home. Several witnesses have come forward about seeing the fight and corroborate the fact that both gentlemen were asked to the leave the festival. Law enforcement was called and did make an appearance due to the fight. Terry begins walking down Hwy 56 at this time. I’ve asked people in attendance what Terry’s appearance was when he left. Were his knuckles bruised and/or bloody? Were there any abrasions to his face? Was he bleeding anywhere? Were his clothes torn? Everyone claims the fight didn’t last long and that neither man had any real injuries.
~10:00pm- Kirby’s girlfriend, at the time, says they got to her mother’s place of residence. She says Kirby was drunk and angry about the fight. He told her that he was going out and not to wait up for him.
~10:30-10:45pm- Witnesses see Terry walking near the little country store on Hwy 56 in Summertown. I spoke with 2 of the 4 people that saw him at this time. Both said he was walking, as he always did, and seemed fine. They regretted not being able to give him a ride but they simply had no room in the car.
~11:00-11:30pm- Terry is allegedly picked up by a few men in a pickup truck. A fight begins, with Terry being outnumbered, and lasts for a couple miles in the back of the truck. Finally, as Terry is fighting with every ounce of his being, someone made the decision to throw him over the side of the truck as it is speeding down the highway. Someone backs up over Terry, while his belongings are collected, and then speeds forward, possibly striking him again. Several people have provided the same story over these last few years. There have even been a couple of family members, of those allegedly involved, that have shared the same story. What also bothers me here is the time. If he died before midnight, which makes sense due to the so-called friend telling his mom and others, where was Terry’s body during those 7-7 1/2 hours? In all those hours, not one person saw a body in the middle of 56? Was he there the whole time or was he put there later on?
April 21, 2002 @ 12 midnight- The childhood friend of Terry goes home crying to his mom about what has happened. He spends his time panicking and making phone calls about Terry’s death. This was reported to law enforcement multiple times that week! How did he know Terry was dead? Who told him? Could he have been a witness? Why didn’t he call 911? Why wasn’t he brought in for questioning? And yes, I’ve spoken with both of them.
~approximately 1am- Terry’s sister, Jeannie, receives a phone call at work. The caller is none other than the mother of Terry’s childhood friend. She asks Jeannie if she had heard from Bubba or knows where he is. Jeannie told her she hadn’t heard from him but knew he went to the festival. The woman said nothing more and hung up. Why did she not inform Jeannie? Why didn’t she just tell her what she had been told?
~1:30am- Terry’s girlfriend is informed of his death and picked up from work. She is told nothing other than “Bubba was in an accident and has died”. This was confirmed by his girlfriend as well. She was told by her father, who had just received a call from his ex wife letting him know the news. Was she ever asked to give a statement? Did law enforcement ever speak with her about the events of that day plus the events leading up to that day?
~3:00am- The guy who claims to have been so close to Rewis being his childhood friend calls Jessica Taylor. He informs her that Terry has been in an accident and has passed away. Jessica begins making phone calls to hospitals and such trying to find Terry to validate the shocking news. She found no information. She reported this to the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office multiple times and attempted to give her statement a few times. One detective finally took her written statement. Why wasn’t she asked to give a formal statement from the get go? Didn’t law enforcement wonder how the person that called her knew hours before his body was even found?
~6:30am- Terry’s body is finally discovered (7-7 1/2 hours AFTER his death). Two hunters come upon Terry’s body in the middle of Hwy 56 and call 911. One of these men spoke up and disagreed when he heard it was listed as an “accidental” hit and run.
~6:52am- Terry is pronounced dead at the scene. One of Terry’s friends went to view and identify his body. He claims there were clear injuries proving that Terry had been in a bad fight. He said his knuckles were busted up as well.
~9:30am- The first family member (Terry’s sister, Jeannie) is informed of his death. So that one guy who made calls to inform others of Terry’s death must’ve forgotten to call Terry’s actual family. Does that make sense to anyone?
~10:00am- Kirby’s girlfriend, at the time, received a phone call at her mom’s. The caller asked to speak to Kirby. She woke him up (doesn’t know what time he actually came back home though) and told him that he had a phone call. When Kirby hung up the phone he said that it was Tyson Stephens (the sheriff at the time and has since passed away) on the phone. He claimed that Stephens informed him of Rewis’ death and that he was asked about Rewis’ wallet, what it looked like and that he was needed to identify the body. What the hell?!? That makes zero sense! The woman said she was shocked and immediately questioned him about what happened last night. Given no answer and feeling uneasy, she went into town driving Kirby’s truck. At the gas station she saw a deputy that seemed to take interest in the truck. She said he walked over and began looking at the truck as he circled it entirely. He even bent down at the front of the truck to examine a large dent. The deputy said nothing and proceeded to walk back to his car. I looked into this and found out that the lead investigator did ask Kirby about the dent but Kirby claimed he had hit a deer 2 days prior to Rewis’ death. Why wasn’t the truck processed? Why weren’t local mechanic shops immediately checked? People were already talking, willing to make statements and answer questions. Why wasn’t this looked into more?
~The day of the service- There have been multiple reports of a black dodge at the funeral home that day. A man with short black hair, mustache and goatee sat in his truck and stared at the funeral home and several of Terry’s friends as they gathered outside to talk. When several of the guys got frustrated, they yelled at the man and headed over to his truck to ask what he was doing there. The man fled the area as fast as he could. Who was this man? What was the reason for staring and not attending the service? Why speed away instead of having a conversation? Why didn’t law enforcement try to find the truck owner? They were told by quite a few people that were there that day.
~Over the next 2 weeks- A couple of Terry’s friends worked at the peanut plant at the time. They began receiving threatening phone calls. The caller would state things like, “You’re next!” and “Stop poking around and asking questions or you’ll end up just like Bubba!” One particular night, a friend was getting off work at the plant and got another call. The caller made threats and the line went dead. About two minutes after leaving the plant a white truck sped up behind him and ran him off the road. Again, who was the driver/caller? Why did they not want Terry’s friends asking questions about his death? What was he so afraid of?
Here is a map to provide you with a better visual than what was in the last post. My drawing skills are horrible, so I figured this time it would be better to actually print out a map and add pins so you could get a better idea of where this happened and the short distance covered during this tragedy.
The top point shows the location of the Redbreast Festival. The middle point shows the location of the country store where Terry was last seen alive. The bottom point shows where Terry’s body was found.
Points to prove this was a malicious crime and should be investigated:
It seems that more than just a handful of people possibly knew about the fight with Terry or have information about that night. This investigation has been a flop and no one has been named as a person of interest/suspect or been brought in for questioning in all these years. I’d also like to point out that Jessica Taylor not only called the Sheriff’s Department several times, but she also gave her statement only to have it thrown away instead of being filed and investigated.
1. The childhood friend seems to have major jealousy issues. He allegedly had a problem with the relationship that Terry and Jessica had. He’s been arrested several times in the past and just can’t seem to get it together. He has actually been spoken to about Terry’s death and came up with a whopping 3 lies in less than 5 minutes! The last thing he wanted to say about Terry’s case was, “Just let the damn dead stay dead, in the ground and gone.” Sound likes a lovely person huh?
2. The assault and conversation in the months preceding Terry’s death- As you may recall from the first post, Terry was assaulted a few months before he died. He was walking to his sister’s house when someone pulled up along side him and threw a bottle that caused a severe laceration to his head. As he was being tended to, Terry told his sister about the possibility of people coming after him and killing him. He wanted her to know that whatever happens would NOT be an accident. I wonder if the man that threw the bottle was the same one that remained at the funeral home for almost an hour staring.
3. Terry’s “final goodbye” to his friends- The weekend before his murder was a somber time. Terry spent an evening expressing his gratitude to his friends for always being there for him and making him feel loved. He wanted them to know they were important to him and that he cherished his time with them. I firmly believe that he knew something bad was going to take place soon. He had to have an idea of the tragedy waiting around the corner.
4. The updated timeline- The new timeline has much more information and fills in the time throughout that final night. The childhood friend still plays a huge role. The fact that he knew Terry was deceased and began telling people immediately puts him right in the middle of this. He actually began telling people 6-6 1/2 hours before Terry’s body was even found! Was Terry’s body in the roadway that whole time or was he thrown there sometime in the early morning hours?
5. The missing items- Terry always had his cellphone, backpack, wallet and gold cross necklace with him. These items were missing from the crime scene. Now, riddle me this…how many times have you heard of a hit and run happening where the driver stops their vehicle, backs up and collects items off the deceased? Go ahead, I’ll wait……… Yea, I’ve never heard of it either. This wasn’t just some hit and run. Someone didn’t accidentally hit Terry Rewis, stop his/her car and steal items off his dead body. Hit and run offenders hit someone and take off immediately. This was a deliberate act and those involved took these items before leaving the scene. They thought he had money in the backpack, wanted to remove anything that may contain evidence from the fight and figured the cellphone would have incriminating calls or text messages. Oh! And where is his wallet that has a specific sticker on it?
6. The several people that desperately need to be questioned + witness statements- Throughout the course of this case, I’ve gathered tons of notes and statements that show people have knowledge of this incident and have information in Terry’s death. And another thing that bothers me is the fact that some individuals close to them have known all these years and never came forward to do the right thing.
7. One man has gotten a little worried and antsy now that his possible knowledge has been brought out in the open. He has called Terry’s sister, Jeannie, just to let her know he’s around. He and another convict even tried the tactic of calling Jeannie with an elaborate story to attempt to make her throw in the towel. I guess when the going gets tough the cowards try and scare others into silence. He sure backed off when I told him where he was located, living in a tent!
8. The fact that this case didn’t seem properly investigated to begin with is a red flag to me. Certain people that have certain last names or reputations seem to rotate back pockets in southern small towns. This is one of the reasons the phrase, “Good ol’ Boy’s Club” exists. When cases like this go unsolved/ignored for so long people start to ask who knew who, who was rumored to be involved or have information and who owes who a favor. The people in the community start to lose faith and trust in their local law enforcement and that’s not good. The community should feel comfortable and safe knowing their LE will help find the answers/truth and bring closure/justice. I sincerely hope this sheriff’s office digs in and helps this family.
9. The autopsy report. The scene. He was in the middle of the road, nothing on the sides of the road. There were no belongings or blood on the side of the road, to my knowledge. The list of injuries to his body is horrendous. Just take a look for yourself and see if you think this was an accident or a deliberate act.
The above picture is the inventory sheet listing what was released to the family and what was kept as evidence. Notice there is no wallet, cell phone, green backpack with the contents or gold cross necklace. I also want you to know that the evidence kept is still in a box at the sheriff’s department and it’s never been processed/tested. Can you believe it??? Rewis’ sister was told about the box at the department and laid eyes on the box.
As we just hit the 23rd year of this wicked act, I hope all the knowledge gained in this case will soon bring complete closure to Terry’s family. I had the pleasure,years ago, of speaking with Terry’s mother. She was still suffering and yearns for the day those responsible will be put behind bars and her son is finally set free.
As always, please feel free to call or message with any information you may have related to Terry’s murder. I can promise that you will stay anonymous.
To those responsible: I can also make you a promise. I promise that your day is coming. I refuse to give up and let you continue living outside those steel bars.
Tragedy struck the Roy family of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts on July 13, 2014. Lynn and Conrad Roy were facing one of every parent’s worst fears. Their son was missing. Then another fear became reality… their son was dead. Conrad Roy III had committed suicide.
Conrad Roy III graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School with a 3.88 GPA. He also earned his captain’s license from Northeast Maritime Institute. Roy had been accepted to Fitchburg State University and planned on attending with his best friend. He was an excellent, all-around athlete. He played football, baseball, rowed crew and ran track. He worked with his father, grandfather and uncle for Tucker-Roy Marine Towing and Salvage, Inc. It seems that he had everything going for him, right? It seems like the life of a normal teenager. So, what happened? What was hiding just under the surface?
There seems to be a bit of a troubled past dealing with depression and a hospitalization for an acetaminophen overdose in October of 2012, according to an article I found. This same article talks about the relevance of a domestic violence document dealing with Roy’s parents in 2011, before their divorce.
Conrad Roy III met Michelle Carter in Naples, Florida while on vacation in 2012. Their relationship consisted of text messages and phone calls. I’m a little confused about their relationship though. They lived about 35-40 miles apart and only met up in person a couple of times after they met on vacation. It seems odd to me. Michelle Carter, if I’m not mistaken, claims a 2 year relationship, but I’ve read quotes from Roy’s mother and best friend that they didn’t know her or know of an ongoing relationship. In my opinion, the relationship doesn’t add up. You’ve got Carter claiming a 2 year “relationship” and Roy’s best friend not knowing about her… hmmm. An article from the Boston Herald (https://www.bostonherald.com/2015/03/01/teens-family-girl-is-not-the-villain/) states that friends interviewed by police described Michelle as someone who “requires a lot of attention” and “has a history of being the ‘girl who cried wolf'”.
Let’s look at July 12, 2014, the day before his body was found. He spent the day with his family at the beach. An article on masslive.com states there have been two stories about that day at the beach. One story is that the day went fine and Roy spent quality time with family. He walked the beach with his mother discussing college and other future plans. Another story, given by Roy’s mother to New York Magazine, states that Roy was distracted and more interested in texting than speaking with her. It was discovered later that he had been texting Michelle Carter. According to those text messages, Carter was urging Roy to end his life. It appears that Roy had second thoughts about ending his life, but Carter just wouldn’t let it go. Texts from Carter state, “You said you were gonna do it. Like I don’t get why you aren’t. So I guess you aren’t going to do it then. All that for nothing.”. Here’s messages I found from deadstate.org (https://deadstate.org/here-are-the-disturbing-texts-from-michelle-carter-pressuring-her-boyfriend-to-commit-suicide/
Carter acted as if she was devastated about losing Conrad. She was so consumed by her grief and sadness that she enjoyed her prom and visited Disney World. (I promise I’m rolling my eyes so hard at the moment!) Anyway, as the investigation unraveled, it was brought to light Michelle’s role in Conrad’s suicide. Carter opted for a bench trial. A bench trial is when a judge, not a jury, would decide the punishment. She was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 months with 5 years probation. She was just released, 3 months early, for her good behavior. One of the conditions in her release is that she cannot profit from her story.
My personal opinion about this case probably won’t mean much to most but I like adding my two cents worth anyway! Michelle Carter, in my opinion, is an attention-seeking monster. She met Conrad while they were both on vacation with their families and decided right then and there that she had found a “puppet”. She took the next two years, sending thousands and thousands of text messages, grooming him for his death. Conrad had dealt with depression in the past and did have a suicidal past…BUT he was doing better and making progress. Carter came along and seemed to enjoy pulling strings and calling the shots. The constant messages to Conrad demanding that he commit suicide and the “effort” to help his family find him afterward proves she’s evil as hell. She posted so many “sad” updates on social media and arranged little remembrance events for him…all the while knowing she was the one who convinced him to take his own life. Serving 12 months has taught her NOTHING, in my opinion. She’s going to go on with her life. She’s going to have all the experiences in her life that she stripped from Conrad. It’s completely ridiculous that her punishment wasn’t more severe. We have to have more consequences for crimes like this.
With that said, I implore anyone dealing with sadness and/or suicidal thoughts to seek help. Please talk to someone. Talk with a trusted friend and/or adult or call a hotline. There are resources available! You matter! Don’t let others make you feel “less than”.
National Suicide Hotline- 1-800-273-8255 or text ANSWER to 839863
Life and Lemons 