District Attorney Collin Sims reports that on October 15, 2025, Judge Richard Swartz sentenced 47-year-old Calvin Ulyessa Brown of Slidell to 57 years in prison following his conviction for attempting to kill his estranged wife. In August, a St. Tammany Parish jury found Brown guilty of attempt second degree murder, attempt simple burglary and stalking at the conclusion of a 4-day trial. Assistant District Attorneys Christina Fisher and Heather Stephens prosecuted the case. Detective Scott O’Shaughnessy of the Slidell Police Department led the investigation.
The charges stem from a February 26, 2022, incident in which Brown ambushed his estranged wife and shot her four times as she sat in her vehicle. The shooting occurred just after 2:00 a.m. on Joseph Street in Slidell. Officers responded to a report of gunfire and found the victim in the driver’s seat of her parked vehicle, unconscious and bleeding profusely. As officers assessed her gunshot wounds, the victim stopped breathing. Officers began applying emergency treatment to the victim and she regained consciousness. (Slidell Police Officer Rachel Harris was later presented a lifesaving award for her commendable conduct.) Prior to being loading into an ambulance, the victim named her husband, Calvin Brown, as the shooter. Surveillance footage and forensic evidence collected by the Slidell Police Department, including phone records and data from the defendant’s Apple Watch, supported her account. Earlier that evening, Brown had called the victim more than 50 times and was captured on surveillance video breaking into her apartment. At the time of the shooting, their 7-year-old son was in Brown’s car and witnessed the attack.
The victim testified at trial, describing a 21-year history of abuse and harassment by the defendant. The victim continues to deal with the physical effects of the shooting. Prosecutor Christina Fisher credited the bravery of both the victim and the son in coming forward, stating, “If it were up to Calvin Brown, this would have been a murder.”
At the sentencing hearing, the victim and the son both made statements prior to the imposition of sentence. The victim described the hurt she feels knowing their son will grow up without a father but that she will make certain “not to raise him to put his hands on a woman.” The now 10-year-old son said he often feels sad and wants his father to explain “why you did this to us.”
After the statements concluded, Judge Swartz imposed the maximum penalty on each of the charges: 50 years in prison for the attempt murder, six years for the attempt burglary and one year for the stalking. He then ordered the three sentences to run consecutive to each other, meaning Brown will serve a 57-year prison term.
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