The Murder of Rashawn Brazell

Rashawn Brazell was a 19 year old teenager from Brooklyn, New York, who’s dismembered body parts were found days after he disappeared from his home in 2005. His suspected killer was charged with his murder in 2018.

Rashawn Brazell was born in 1986 in Brooklyn, New York. He was known as an intelligent, helpful, and kind young man. Rashawn’s mother Desire Brazell recalls him telling her that if he ever left he wanted to be remembered for great things. His mother says that he loved to helped others, such as taking food out of their home to give to their neighbors who didn’t have food or giving his shoes to another child who didn’t have any. Rashawn was very generous and compassionate to others.

On Valentines Day of 2005, Rashawn planned to leave his home in Brooklyn, New York to meet with his accountant and then meet with his mother in Manhattan for lunch. However, at about 7:30 that morning, witnesses recall seeing an unknown man ring the doorbell to Rashawn and his mother’s home and Rashawn came downstairs to meet him. The witnesses then said that both Rashawn and the man went into the subway at the Gates Avenue station, and it is believed that they exited at the Nostrand Station in Bedford-Stuyvesant. This was the last time Rashawn Brazell was seen alive.

Rashawn’s mother Desire holding a photograph of him

WARNING graphic detail below!

After he was reported missing, on February 18, subway workers found 2 bloody bags full of body parts on the track near the Nostrand Avenue station. Fingerprints positively identified these body parts as those of Rashawn Brazell. An arm and leg belonging to Rashawn was later found at a recycling plant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. His head has never been found. The brutality of the case made local and national headlines. The New York City Police Department searched all over for clues and evidence to find out what happened and who did this to Rashawn, but eventually the case unfortunately went cold.

A new lead finally came in the case in 2017 when police arrested Kwauhuru Govan. He was linked through DNA to the murders of Brooklyn teenagers Chanel Petro Nixon and Sharabia Thomas, whose dismembered bodies were found disposed in similar ways prior to the murder of Rashawn. At the time of his arrest for his connection to Sharabia’s murder, he was hours away from being released from a jail in Florida after being held for unrelated charges. He was then sent to New York to face these murder charges. After being linked to this murder, police decided to look for other similar murders in the Brooklyn area to which they came across Rashawn’s cold case. It was then discovered that Kwauhuru lived right across the street from Rashawn and his mother at the time of Rashawn’s murder, and he supposedly disliked Rashawn because he was gay.

Kwauhuru Gavin (left) during a court outburst, and a photograph of Rashawn (right)

After having an outburst in court and refusing to get fingerprinted for the murder of Rashawn, investigators were eventually able to gather enough evidence to charge Kwauhuru Gavon with the murder of Rashawn Brazell. Investigators have suspicions that he may possibly be a serial killer after being linked to even more murders.

After years of the case being cold, Rashawn’s family and detectives are relieved to finally have the person who is responsible for the death of Rashawn put to justice, and hopefully he will be brought to justice for the murders and assaults of any other victims he may have out there. Rashawn’s mother and family continue to allow Rashawn’s legacy to live on as the great young man he always was.