Latest / Least of These / 227. “The Three Amigos” - The Case of Qaunique Robinson, Danesha Sims, and Wynshay Roddey - Lawtey, Florida
Transcript
- 0:02[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to least of these, where I cover the cases that need it most, because every life matters and everyone deserves justice.
- 0:09[SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host Leah D. and today I'll be covering the case of Quenique Robinson, D'Nisha Sims, and when Shay Rady and Laudy Florida, let's get right to it.
- 0:54[SPEAKER_00]: Laude is a really small town northeast of Gainesville and just southwest of Jacksonville along Highway 301 in Northeast Florida.
- 1:02[SPEAKER_00]: And when I tell you it's a small town, it's tiny with a population of just about a thousand residents and a town that's only approximately one and a half square miles.
- 1:12[SPEAKER_00]: People tend to know each other and many of the families that call Laude home have for generations.
- 1:19[SPEAKER_00]: It's quiet and quaint and really not all that much happens
- 1:24[SPEAKER_00]: In the wee morning hours of March 12, 2004, the silence that normally filled the spring air was shattered, with flashing lights and sirens all centered around a home on northeast 17th Avenue on the south side of town.
- 1:39[SPEAKER_00]: Bradford County Sheriff's Deputies responded to what Sheriff Gordon Smith would later describe as a 911 hangup call, received at around 2am
- 1:50[SPEAKER_00]: W.W. and Y7 News reported that on that hangup call, a young girl could be heard screaming.
- 1:56[SPEAKER_00]: The call this connected, but the 911 operator called back and a young girl answered.
- 2:03[SPEAKER_00]: The operator said, we received a 911 call from this phone number.
- 2:08[SPEAKER_00]: Is everything okay?
- 2:09[SPEAKER_00]: No, come now.
- 2:11[SPEAKER_00]: What's going on the operator asked?
- 2:14[SPEAKER_00]: Come now, just come.
- 2:17[SPEAKER_00]: Deputies raised to the home and when they arrived, they found a 46-year-old man walking in the front yard with several cuts on his body.
- 2:24[SPEAKER_00]: His name was Johnny Bernard Brown.
- 2:28[SPEAKER_00]: As police were speaking with Johnny, that little girl who placed that frantic 911 call came rushing over.
- 2:35[SPEAKER_00]: She told deputies that her grandmother and two of her other relatives were dead.
- 2:41[SPEAKER_00]: She was just 11 years old, and as it turned out, she was also injured, a police discovered that she had been grazed by a bullet.
- 2:49[SPEAKER_00]: Both Johnny Brown and this 11-year-old girl who I'll refer to from here on out as T, obviously not her real name but as a minor her information should remain protected.
- 2:59[SPEAKER_00]: Anyhow, both Johnny Brown and T were transported to different hospitals.
- 3:04[SPEAKER_00]: While in the ambulance, Brown allegedly told a detective that he and the women were arguing and, quote, got into it.
- 3:11[SPEAKER_00]: Brown claimed that as he was arguing with Queenie, it turned into a physical fight, and her two daughters came at him with knives, so he grabbed a gun and began firing at all three women.
- 3:22[SPEAKER_00]: He said that they all ran, and he, quote, went mad, and continued shooting at them.
- 3:27[SPEAKER_00]: Then stopped firing when the women entered the room where they were found.
- 3:32[SPEAKER_00]: Or at least that was one version of events as reported by the Alachua Chronicle.
- 3:38[SPEAKER_00]: and another Brown went on to say that he fired a shot and the women ran into the bedroom, but he got inside the bedroom and kept shooting.
- 3:45[SPEAKER_00]: This was reported by WCJBTB20.
- 3:49[SPEAKER_00]: And let me be clear here.
- 3:50[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think this was an error in reporting.
- 3:53[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a change in Brown's telling of the story.
- 3:56[SPEAKER_00]: And this version of the story, the one where he made his way into the bedroom and continued firing, would later be backed up by evidence of the scene.
- 4:05[SPEAKER_00]: We'll get there, I promise.
- 4:08[SPEAKER_00]: The Elatua Chronicle reported that Brown was taken to the U.S. health Shands Emergency Room and nearby Gainesville, where he was treated for a laceration to his arm.
- 4:17[SPEAKER_00]: By 615 that morning Brown was medically cleared and promptly arrested by an Elatua County deputy taken to the jail there before ultimately being transported back to the Bradford County jail.
- 4:30[SPEAKER_00]: As for tea, several bullet fragments were removed from her shoulder.
- 4:34[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully, she would go on to make a full recovery, at least physically.
- 4:38[SPEAKER_00]: Back at the scene investigators made their way into the house.
- 4:44[SPEAKER_00]: They walked into a horrific scene.
- 4:46[SPEAKER_00]: According to WCJBTV20, there were three women found shot to death and a bedroom behind a locked door with a bullet hole in it.
- 4:55[SPEAKER_00]: two of the women had been found on the bed and the third was on the floor behind a chair.
- 5:00[SPEAKER_00]: It appeared to deputies that all of the victims had been hiding when they had been shot.
- 5:05[SPEAKER_00]: Those three women were identified as 49-year-old Quynique Robinson, 27-year-old Danisha Sims, and 25-year-old Winshae Roddy.
- 5:15[SPEAKER_00]: Winshae and Danisha were Quynique's daughters, and that 11-year-old little girl tea was Quynique's
- 5:24[SPEAKER_00]: Investigators would soon learn that Quynique was in a long-term relationship with Johnny Brown, the man who had appeared had just murdered all three women.
- 5:32[SPEAKER_00]: In her initial statements to police, T. basically corroborated the statement's Johnny Brown made in the ambulance, at least in part.
- 5:41[SPEAKER_00]: She told detectives that her two ants came into the room and that Mr. Johnny eventually came inside and started shooting.
- 5:49[SPEAKER_00]: The Alachua Chronicle reported that deputies found three knives at the scene, one still held by 27-year-old Danisha, another at the feet of Quineet, and a third near the door of the bedroom where the women had been found.
- 6:04[SPEAKER_00]: So was there a case to be made that Brown had acted in self-defense?
- 6:08[SPEAKER_00]: He had been cut and knives had been recovered at the scene.
- 6:12[SPEAKER_00]: However, deputies also found a bullet hole with a trajectory indicating that the bullet had been fired from outside the door and into the closed and lock bedroom.
- 6:23[SPEAKER_00]: And as they continued to process the scene, they'd recover more evidence that suggested that Denisha and Wenshae had armed themselves with knives to protect their mom and that the women had escaped to a bedroom, lock the door and hid, and that brown shot through
- 6:44[SPEAKER_00]: As the sun came up that morning, the community of Laughty woke up to devastating news.
- 6:49[SPEAKER_00]: Sheriff Gordon Smith spoke to WCJB, TV-20 news, and revealed that he was called in the middle of the night to come down to the crime scene.
- 6:59[SPEAKER_00]: As a native of Laudy, the sheriff knew the victims as well as the suspect and really so did the rest of the community.
- 7:06[SPEAKER_00]: Sheriff Smith stated, it's a sad and tragic moment for a quiet community and everybody here from our agency in the community, all know the victims, we know the suspect, were all quite knowledgeable about who they are and it's kind of shaken the community.
- 7:22[SPEAKER_00]: He went on to say that these murders would have an everlasting impact on everyone involved, but especially 11-year-old T. The sheriff went on to say, this is an emotional scar that will live with this child forever.
- 7:35[SPEAKER_00]: And the victim's family, which is a large family, as they gather, trying to put it all together.
- 7:41[SPEAKER_00]: The biggest question is why, and that we still don't know.
- 7:47[SPEAKER_00]: Investigators immediately knew the who.
- 7:50[SPEAKER_00]: They suspected that Johnny Brown was responsible for the triple homicide.
- 7:54[SPEAKER_00]: I mean it was pretty clear.
- 7:56[SPEAKER_00]: So it comes as no surprise that 46-year-old Johnny Bernard Brown was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
- 8:27[SPEAKER_00]: Six days after 49-year-old Queenie Robinson and her two daughters, 27-year-old Danisha Sims, and 25-year-old Winshae Roddy were found shot to death in their home.
- 8:37[SPEAKER_00]: Queenie's boyfriend, 46-year-old Johnny Brown, was in court requesting he be released on bail, awaiting his trial for the triple homicide.
- 8:46[SPEAKER_00]: The triple homicide that also injured 11-year-old T.
- 8:50[SPEAKER_00]: After committing a triple homicide, Brown had the audacity to ask for supervised release, like they were going to let him out.
- 8:58[SPEAKER_00]: But hey, I guess stranger things have happened, unfortunately.
- 9:02[SPEAKER_00]: But in this case, Brown's bill was denied and he'd have to wait it out behind bars.
- 9:08[SPEAKER_00]: At that hearing, though, the courtroom heard testimony from prosecutors about Johnny Brown's
- 9:17[SPEAKER_00]: He had violated his probation on a battery charge from a neighboring county.
- 9:22[SPEAKER_00]: What led to that battery charge out of Clay County?
- 9:26[SPEAKER_00]: Well, let me tell ya.
- 9:28[SPEAKER_00]: According to an arrest affidavit, back in October of 2000, Johnny was at work when his supervisor confronted him about being late.
- 9:36[SPEAKER_00]: A verbal argument ensued between Brown and the supervisor and the supervisor turned away from Johnny.
- 9:41[SPEAKER_00]: When he did, Johnny struck him in the back of the head.
- 9:45[SPEAKER_00]: The supervisor fell forward, hit his eye and lip on a set of stairs, and while he was down, Johnny Brown proceeded to hit him in the back in ribs with his fists.
- 9:56[SPEAKER_00]: Brown ultimately pleaded no contest to the battery charge and adjudication was withheld, pending Brown complete 12 months of probation with special conditions.
- 10:06[SPEAKER_00]: But Johnny continually violated his probation, which led him to jail and more probation, which is why he was still on probation in the year 2024.
- 10:17[SPEAKER_00]: Further court records show another battery charge from 2012 in Bradford County, but that was ultimately dropped by the prosecutor's office.
- 10:27[SPEAKER_00]: Before the case made its way to trial, Brown tried to convince the judge that he had murdered the three women and injured an 11-year-old girl in self-defense.
- 10:36[SPEAKER_00]: He basically claimed that the three women were attacking him and he had no choice but to shoot them.
- 10:41[SPEAKER_00]: However, Judge James Cole-Law disagreed and ruled that the evidence didn't support a self-defense claim.
- 10:48[SPEAKER_00]: And while that may be confusing, especially here in a minute when we get to the trial where spoiler alert, Brown was going to claim he was in fear for his life.
- 10:57[SPEAKER_00]: In Florida, a person charged with homicide who claims self-defense can request a special pretrial evidentiary hearing before a judge to determine if they're immune from prosecution.
- 11:08[SPEAKER_00]: If the judge determines that a self-defense claim is legally justified, the charges are dismissed right than in there, and the defendant walks free, immune from prosecution.
- 11:18[SPEAKER_00]: If the judge determines the evidence doesn't support a self-defense claim as in Brown's case, the case proceeds to a regular jury trial.
- 11:27[SPEAKER_00]: This was obviously a win for the prosecution.
- 11:29[SPEAKER_00]: However, before the jury would hear Brown's case,
- 11:37[SPEAKER_00]: It seemed prosecutors didn't feel as if there was enough evidence to support pre-meditated murder charges, but they felt strongly they could prove second degree in the attempted murder charge for tea.
- 11:48[SPEAKER_00]: The trial began on September 29, 2025, and it didn't take long.
- 11:55[SPEAKER_00]: The verdict would come in just three short days.
- 11:59[SPEAKER_00]: Prosecutors told the jury that the three women had been murdered after an argument between Quenique and Johnny turned physical.
- 12:06[SPEAKER_00]: Quenique's daughters had tried to protect their mom and ultimately the three women retreated to a bedroom.
- 12:12[SPEAKER_00]: And Johnny Brown shot his way into that bedroom and then shot them a total of 14 times.
- 12:18[SPEAKER_00]: Quynique had suffered six gunshot wounds and her two daughters, D'Nisha and Wenshay, had both been shot four times.
- 12:26[SPEAKER_00]: Medical examiner Dr. Thomas Cohen took the stand and said that blood had been found on the kitchen floor, a mattress down in the hallway, and on a comberter were two of the women were found.
- 12:36[SPEAKER_00]: He went on to say that knives were also found at the scene.
- 12:39[SPEAKER_00]: T, who was now 12 years old, took the stand and recalled the events of that night, telling the jury that Johnny Brown came into the room and just started shooting.
- 12:48[SPEAKER_00]: The testimony of the police officers about evidence at the scene backed up the little girl's story.
- 12:55[SPEAKER_00]: They told the jury that the position the women were found in made it appear as if they were hiding, and that it also appeared the bedroom lock had been shot through from outside the bedroom door.
- 13:05[SPEAKER_00]: And as we know, Johnny had all but confessed, telling officers that night that he had quote, went mad after a fight with Quineet.
- 13:15[SPEAKER_00]: And with that, it was time for the defense.
- 13:18[SPEAKER_00]: Of course, Brown claimed that he was in fear for his life, which is why he had no choice but to shoot the three women,
- 13:24[SPEAKER_00]: He claimed he was the one who was attacked, and through his attorneys he questioned whether or not evidence had been moved, including the knives, before the scene was processed.
- 13:33[SPEAKER_00]: They pointed out that Brown had been injured, cut with a knife, and that he had to be taken to the hospital before being transported to jail.
- 13:41[SPEAKER_00]: And then his defense team did the only thing they really could do with a defendant claiming he felt his life was in danger, and Johnny Brown took the stand.
- 13:50[SPEAKER_00]: Brown told the jury that he had raised Quenix two daughters, and that he had been in a relationship with her for half of his life.
- 13:58[SPEAKER_00]: He spoke through tears as he described holding Wenxian his arms when she was, quote, little and tiny.
- 14:03[SPEAKER_00]: His attorney then moved on to the night of March 12th.
- 14:07[SPEAKER_00]: Brown told the jury that he panicked during the confrontation and felt like his life was in danger, partly because they were in such close quarters inside of the small home.
- 14:17[SPEAKER_00]: He stated, it was close.
- 14:20[SPEAKER_00]: There wasn't really enough room.
- 14:21[SPEAKER_00]: If I was out in the open, it probably would have been a whole different scenario.
- 14:25[SPEAKER_00]: He went on to say, my logical decision probably wasn't, I couldn't think.
- 14:31[SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't think like that.
- 14:32[SPEAKER_00]: So I was
- 14:36[SPEAKER_00]: I love them people are trying to kill me.
- 14:39[SPEAKER_00]: Then it just went, they're trying to kill me.
- 14:41[SPEAKER_00]: Like I didn't know, I didn't know them at that point.
- 14:44[SPEAKER_00]: As he testified, he was clearly emotional.
- 14:48[SPEAKER_00]: But when it was time for cross-examination, regardless of his tears, prosecutors didn't hold back.
- 14:54[SPEAKER_00]: The prosecutor pressed Brown, arguing that Denisha and Wenshae weren't attacking him, but protecting their mother from him.
- 15:01[SPEAKER_00]: the prosecutor asked, it's second nature for a child to protect their mother, is that true?
- 15:07[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he answered, to do anything they can to protect their mother, is that true?
- 15:12[SPEAKER_00]: Yes, he answered again.
- 15:14[SPEAKER_00]: The prosecutor went on, especially when they see a man larger than their mother attacking their mother, have hands on their mother, isn't that true?
- 15:23[SPEAKER_00]: Brown answered, note not just a protect, but really
- 15:29[SPEAKER_00]: Then the prosecution brought it back to the bedroom door, and questioned Brown about whether or not the door was locked.
- 15:36[SPEAKER_00]: The prosecutor asked, then they retreated into that bedroom and locked the door, didn't they?
- 15:42[SPEAKER_00]: No, he answered.
- 15:44[SPEAKER_00]: The prosecutor continued, and when they locked that door, you had to take that firearm, shoot through the handle, shoot through the wall, shoot through the door frame to get entry into where they were hiding from you, isn't that true?
- 15:56[SPEAKER_00]: No, Brown responded again.
- 16:19[SPEAKER_00]: On October 1, 2025, the jury had reached their verdict, and to the shock of many, it was split.
- 16:26[SPEAKER_00]: Johnny Brown was found not guilty of shooting Quenique.
- 16:30[SPEAKER_00]: However, when it came to Denisha and Winshae, he was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, and Bertie was found guilty of the lesser included charge of child endangerment or child neglect.
- 16:42[SPEAKER_00]: Brown would be held accountable for the murders of Denisha and Winshae, but not for his long-time girlfriend, Quynique Robinson.
- 16:50[SPEAKER_00]: Quynique's Brother Kevin, along with many other family members, were disappointed in the jury's verdict.
- 16:56[SPEAKER_00]: Kevin spoke to WCJB-20 news and stated, so disappointed to the point where you could say, I could take a life and I could get away with it, Scott Fri.
- 17:07[SPEAKER_00]: of Brown's claims that he was being attacked, Kevin responded, you can neutralize it when it's coming towards you, that self-defense.
- 17:15[SPEAKER_00]: When someone is retreating from you and hiding from you, that's not self-defense.
- 17:20[SPEAKER_00]: That's just plain out simple murder.
- 17:22[SPEAKER_00]: Kevin went on to say that he felt if family members had been called to testify on Quynique's behalf, the verdict would have been different.
- 17:30[SPEAKER_00]: He said to the outlet,
- 17:31[SPEAKER_00]: I just wish the state would have given a better representation and allowed us to defend our sister.
- 17:37[SPEAKER_00]: Regardless of the outcome, Kevin took comfort in the fact that Johnny Brown knew exactly what he did that night, and he was the one who had to live with it.
- 17:46[SPEAKER_00]: And whatever sentence was handed down was well deserved because he had the opportunity to walk out the door that night, but he didn't.
- 17:55[SPEAKER_00]: He also revealed that he was doing well after having testified and that taking the stand was actually her idea.
- 18:02[SPEAKER_00]: She just wanted justice for her family.
- 18:04[SPEAKER_00]: And I've just got to say here, that's a hell of a brave thing for any survivor to do, and it's only even more brave to be able to do it at age 12.
- 18:15[SPEAKER_00]: I hope she realizes just how powerful she is, and that her testimony played a crucial role in getting justice for her family.
- 18:24[SPEAKER_00]: And speaking of that justice, it was coming, because on November 5th of 2025, Johnny Brown was handed down two life sentences with 15 years tacked on for child neglect.
- 18:36[SPEAKER_00]: He will spend the rest of his life behind bars in a Florida prison, and that's exactly where he belongs.
- 18:45[SPEAKER_00]: As the family tries to pick up the pieces of the violent and sudden loss of not one, not two, but three of their loved ones.
- 18:52[SPEAKER_00]: They remember Quynique Danisha and Wenxie as a fun-loving trio that were always together.
- 18:58[SPEAKER_00]: Their cousin Yolanda spoke to WWE and why seven news and stated,
- 19:03[SPEAKER_00]: The girls, every time I would see them out, they were having a good time.
- 19:07[SPEAKER_00]: And most of the time, if I did see them out, they were with their mama, you know.
- 19:11[SPEAKER_00]: They looked just like their mama.
- 19:14[SPEAKER_00]: Queen ex-brother Kevin echoed those sentiments.
- 19:16[SPEAKER_00]: He spoke to WCJB News20 and told the outlet that his sister was always with her daughters.
- 19:22[SPEAKER_00]: He said, I'd called them the three Amigos, if you see one, you're going to see the other two.
- 19:28[SPEAKER_00]: He went on to say, they stuck together.
- 19:30[SPEAKER_00]: and they're always together and they died together.
- 19:35[SPEAKER_00]: And that my friends is all I've got for this week.
- 19:38[SPEAKER_00]: Be sure to join me next Thursday for an all new episode.
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- 20:07[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening.
- 20:10[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for caring.
- 20:11[SPEAKER_00]: If you know something, say something.
- 20:13[SPEAKER_00]: And until next time, be good to each other.
- 20:58[SPEAKER_00]: Hey y'all, I've got some thoughts tonight.
- 21:01[SPEAKER_00]: Not that it matters because Brown is going to be locked up for the rest of ever, but he should have been found guilty of murdering Quineca as well.
- 21:09[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever physical altercation was going on between the two of them was bad enough that her daughter felt the need to arm themselves with knives to protect their mom.
- 21:18[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Brown was obviously a man, he was bigger and stronger than Quenique.
- 21:24[SPEAKER_00]: And again, pointing out the obvious, whatever altercation occurred, he suffered a few lacerations, like to his arm that took a few hours in an ER, wait times and all, for him to be treated, and to be medically cleared to go to jail.
- 21:39[SPEAKER_00]: His injuries were minor.
- 21:42[SPEAKER_00]: These women were shot 16 times in total and a fragment from one of those bullets hit a child.
- 21:50[SPEAKER_00]: There's no comparison.
- 21:51[SPEAKER_00]: They tried to get away but brown pursued them and shot through a locked door.
- 21:56[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever happened between him and Quynique prior to that, in my opinion, doesn't matter.
- 22:02[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't matter at all.
- 22:04[SPEAKER_00]: If you're afraid for your life, you don't go chasing your supposed attackers and shoot them from the other side of a locked door.
- 22:11[SPEAKER_00]: You get the hell out and you call 911.
- 22:15[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's just basic.
- 22:17[SPEAKER_00]: I don't buy any part of his story except for the part when he said he went mad.
- 22:22[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he was pissed off and he murdered a mother and her two daughters.
- 22:26[SPEAKER_00]: Two daughters
- 22:32[SPEAKER_00]: Those two girls died protecting their mom.
- 22:35[SPEAKER_00]: Does he have regrets?
- 22:37[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure.
- 22:37[SPEAKER_00]: He cried all the way through his testimony.
- 22:40[SPEAKER_00]: But regrets don't bring people back from the dead.
- 22:43[SPEAKER_00]: And regardless of those tears on the stand, I have zero sympathy.
- 22:48[SPEAKER_00]: None.
- 22:50[SPEAKER_00]: I searched high and low and I still can't find it, and he should have been held fully accountable, and that means in Quynique's death as well, and he should have been held accountable for tea.
- 23:00[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think child endangerment or neglect or whatever the hell he ended up being convicted of is it.
- 23:06[SPEAKER_00]: If you shoot into a house with a child present, I'm going to assume you meant to kill that child.
- 23:11[SPEAKER_00]: And where the hell was she through all of this?
- 23:13[SPEAKER_00]: And why was he not concerned that there was an 11-year-old little girl caught up in the
- 23:18[SPEAKER_00]: The fact that throughout all of the chaos, she knew how to get help as incredible, and I truly hope she knows what a hero she is.
- 23:28[SPEAKER_00]: As per Brown, he can go directly under the jail, and rot for the rest of forever, as far as I'm concerned.
- 23:34[SPEAKER_00]: And that's about all I got to say about that.
- 23:38[SPEAKER_00]: Y'all know I love you more in my luggage, and I can't wait to talk to you next week, but until then, bye-bye-bye!