Man Convicted of Murdering Mother of Four in Drive-By Shooting with AK-47

After firing over 30 rounds from an AK-47 and murdering Uniqua Brown-a mother of four, including twin girls who were days old at the time-Lavonte Simmons will spend the rest of his life in prison. Leslie Nassios, a prosecutor in District Attorney General Charme P. Allen’s Major Crimes Unit, obtained convictions today for First Degree Murder and two counts of Aggravated Assault. The five-day trial concluded with the jury’s verdict on Friday evening.

In June 2013, Simmons used an AK-47 assault rifle in a drive-by shooting on Nolan Avenue that left Ms. Brown dead. Days earlier, Brown had given birth to twin girls. Simmons discharged over 30 rounds from his weapon, killing Brown and wounding Akeem Hollingsworth. As a result of the jury’s verdict, Simmons received an automatic sentence of life in prison from Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword.

“”This crime was an unspeakable tragedy that left four children without a mother,”” stated Allen. “”I can only hope that this verdict provides some measure of justice to Uniqua Brown’s family.””

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.