Liberty man gets life plus 26 years for beating death of elderly neighbor

WARREN

A Liberty Township man will life in prison for the beating death of his neighbor.

Sean Clemens, 34, pleaded guilty this morning to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, arson and tampering with evidence in the death of Jane Larue Brown, 84.

If Clemens had gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced the death penalty, reported 21-WFMJ TV, The Vindicator's broadcast partner.

According to the affidavit filed in April of 2017, Clemens told Detective Sgt. Mike Yannuci that he used a sledgehammer to break into the sliding glass door of Jane Larue Brown's home on the 500 block of Churchill-Hubbard Road.

Clemens then told the detective that he grabbed a hand shovel from the garden and went into the home where he found Brown still sleeping. He said after beating Brown, he got a knife from the kitchen and cut her throat.

The affidavit says a report from the Trumbull County Coroner found injuries and bruises on Brown that indicated that she attempted to defend herself before she died.