WEST CHESTER, Pa. — Leroy Brahm III, a Pennsylvania man, has been found guilty of first-degree murder and multiple counts of assault in connection with the savage beating death of his girlfriend, 21-year-old Annabel Meenan. The verdict was announced after a week-long trial, according to a news release from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Brahm had repeatedly and brutally attacked Meenan, with many of the assaults captured on an in-home security video. Brahm and Meenan had been living together in a mobile home trailer and had met while she was in high school. Prosecutors argued that Brahm grew jealous of a relationship Meenan had with another man they went on an ocean cruise with in the summer of 2021.
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Kathleen Wright told the jury that Brahm wanted to regain control over Meenan and was angered by her choosing another man over him. On the night of her death, Brahm allegedly subjected Meenan to a sustained and brutal assault, which included stomping on her head, dropping a sofa on her, and sitting on top of it until he fell asleep.
East Vincent Township Police were called to the scene on the night of December 4, 2021, in response to a medical emergency. Meenan was found with extensive injuries to her face, chest, arms, and legs. She was transported to Phoenixville Hospital, where she later died.
The medical examiner determined that Meenan’s cause of death was cardiac arrest due to cocaine and alcohol consumption, but the cardiac arrest was a result of the severe beatings she had suffered. Brahm’s attorney argued during the trial that Meenan’s death was not premeditated and that her drug use may have contributed to her demise.