DALLAS (Court TV) — A Texas man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murdering a 4-year-old boy.
Darriynn Brown, now 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder moments before his trial was set to begin. Brown was initially charged with capital murder, kidnapping and burglary in the May 2021 death of Cash Gernon.
Darriynn Brown apepars in court for his plea and sentencing hearing Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Court TV)
According to an arrest report, home surveillance footage showed Gernon being taken from his crib as he was sleeping by an unknown male at about 5:00 am on May 15. Nearly two hours later, a 911 caller reported finding an unresponsive child lying in a puddle of blood in the street eight blocks away. By 11:00 am, Gernon was reported missing.
According to the Associated Press, Gernon and his twin brother were staying with their father and his girlfriend, Monica Sherrod, when he disappeared. Sherrod identified Brown in the surveillance video.
In 2021, Brown’s defense team told KDFW that he had recently been released from a mental health facility before the murder and suffered from hallucinations. They claim Brown was in a trance-like state at the time of the murder, reported KDFW.
In 2022, Brown was found incompetent to stand trial. In Jan. 2025, a judge declared him competent.
After Brown was sentenced to life in prison, prosecutors read three victim impact statements from Gernon’s family. In one statement, Gernon’s father, Trevor Gernon, said his son’s death has reduced him to a fraction of his former self, and he would’ve given his life to defend Cash’s. Trevor said he was initially in favor of the death penalty for Brown, but his son’s death wasn’t “painless or humane” and instead wanted Brown to live out his life behind bars.
