ST. LOUIS, MO (July 11, 2025) — Branden Leachman, 21, pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and first-degree robbery in St. Louis Circuit Court, receiving a 20-year prison sentence for his role in a New Year's Day 2024 assault. The attack left 52-year-old Tyrone Venney with permanent brain damage and ultimately caused his death.

On January 1, 2024, around 6:50 p.m., police found Venney unresponsive in a parking lot on the 800 block of North Jefferson in the City’s Midtown neighborhood. He had been lying in the cold for over an hour with traumatic head injuries, hypothermia, and spinal cord damage. He was hospitalized in critical condition and later transferred to a long-term care facility. Venney remained permanently impaired and unable to speak until his death five months later.

Investigators recovered disturbing cellphone video recorded by Leachman, in which he can be heard threatening to kill the victim, admitting to urinating on him, and repeatedly kicking him in the head while Venney lay unconscious. Surveillance video and witness accounts placed Leachman and co-defendant Nathan Kehn at the scene. Both were located shortly after at a nearby location and taken into custody.

“What happened to Mr. Venney was a merciless attack that stripped a man of his dignity, his voice, and eventually, his life,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “The defendant’s own footage showed a shocking level of cruelty and disregard for human life. His conviction and sentence ensures he is held accountable.”

Kehn pled guilty in June and received a 20-year sentence. Violent Crime Unit Supervisor Adam Field prosecuted both cases.



Leachman’s case number is 2422-CR00017-01. Kehn’s case number is 2422-CR00016-01.