Columbia man pleads guilty to murdering pregnant woman
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Columbia man pleaded guilty Friday to killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Sevance T. Brewer, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder after being charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder for the death of the fetus and other felony charges. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Brewer was accused of shooting a pregnant woman at a home on the 4800 block of Clearview Road in Boone County in August 2023.
According to court documents, Brewer shot the woman during an argument. Investigators watched doorbell camera footage to determine Brewer allegedly watched her fall against the wall before leaving the home with the gun. Investigators then found the gun under a rock in a creek bed in a Columbia park.
Court documents show that Brewer has a history of domestic violence. He's had charges from 2019 and 2021 for domestic assault involving the same victim who was killed.
Brewer's jury trial had been set to begin Tuesday.
The victim’s mother, Tammy Toalson says she doesn’t believe justice was served. Toalson tells ABC 17 News she was unhappy Brewer will have a chance for parole and says if it were up to her she would have preferred the death penalty or no opportunity for parole.
“I do not feel justice was served and he looked like an idiot up there and he didn’t even apologize to us,” Toalson said.
“He didn’t feel nothing. No remorse,” Brittany’s cousin, Turquoise President said. “He was a drug addict, period. He didn't care about nothing but drugs and the damn game.”
Britanny Toalson was just 27 years old on the night of her death but friends and family remember her for much more.
“She was funny and quiet. She could hit you with some jokes. She could cook. Oh my gosh, she could make the meanest banana pudding,” Toalson’s friend Jessica Green said.
Brewer has a history of drug use and domestic violence with charges from 2019 and 2021 that each involved toalson.
“He abused my cousin. Mentally, verbally, all that for years. She was quiet about a lot of things. If she would have spoken up this wouldn’t have happened,” President said.
Her family says Brewer took two of Brittany's kids to his mother’s house the night of the shooting. Brewer's mother has been taking care of them ever since. Toalson’s family says they are currently working to get custody of the kids back.
“His mother has not even apologized to us for what her son has done to our family,” Tammy Toalson said. “And why does their family get to take our daughter and our grandkids? The Brewer family has taken everything from us.”
