Witness returning from Poland leads to 30-year sentence in 2015 Brooklyn murder case

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who spearheaded the international collaboration that located a key witness in Poland, ensured the conviction of a 55-year-old from East New York, Brooklyn.
Photo: Mary Frost/Eagle

Second time was a charm for prosecutors, who were able to bring in a witness from Poland in order to convict a Brooklynite of a 2015 murder that was already overturned once following a 2017 conviction.

A 55-year-old man from East New York, Brooklyn was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in the Kings County Supreme Court on Thursday after a re-trial that was only possible because the district attorney was able to bring in a witness from Poland.

Keith Brannon was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison by Justice John Hecht on Thursday. The sentencing comes after Brannonโ€™s conviction on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree attempted robbery following a jury trial concluded on Sept. 14.

The case dates back to a fatal incident on Aug. 8, 2015. Brannon was found guilty of the cold-blooded murder of Christopher Tennison, 32, outside a Brownsville homeless shelter on Sackman Street. The murder, stemming from a dispute over money, was evident in text messages exchanged between Brannon and Tennison before the tragic event unfolded.

Brannonโ€™s conviction in 2017 was initially overturned on appeal due to a judicial error. However, meticulous efforts by investigators from the District Attorneyโ€™s Office ensured a retrial. In an impressive display of international cooperation, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Detective Investigators from the District Attorneyโ€™s Office located a key witness in Poland.

The witness, a former shelter resident who had discovered the murder weapon โ€” a gun found under Brannonโ€™s bed at a Bronx shelter โ€” was instrumental in the case. With assistance from HSI, emergency documentation was secured, enabling the witnessโ€™s return to the U.S. to…

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