Police in Longboat Key, Fla., have made an arrest in the murder of theatrical director James L. Brown, professionally known as Jamie Brown.
Brown, 57, directed the David French drama "Of the Fields, Lately" in 1980, first at Theatre Off Park and then on Broadway at the former Century Theatre. He also worked extensively in regional theatre, directed at the WPA Theatre in its earliest years, adapted and staged a version of "A Christmas Carol," and directed the world premiere of Horton Foote's "Dividing the Estate" at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J., in 1989.
Officers forced their way into Brown's Longboat Key home Thurs., June 8, at the request of a friend who said she had been unable to reach the director for several days. Upon entering the house, they found his fully clothed body face down on the living room floor, partially covered by an afghan.
A subsequent autopsy showed Brown had been beaten and stabbed to death. Police later discovered his car in Sarasota, about 15 miles away, abandoned in an industrial park.
Members of the Longboat Key police and the Manatee County Sheriff's Office processed the crime scene and found fingerprints that a computerized system traced to Jameson Nelson Smith, 25, of Sarasota. After interviewing Smith, who has an extensive arrest record and lives less than 10 blocks from where Brown's car was abandoned, a warrant was issued for his arrest, charging him with second degree murder.
According to Longboat Key police, Smith placed himself at the scene, saying Brown hired him to do "odd jobs," but denied any involvement with the homicide. Authorities have not established a motive for the murder, but have said they "do not believe the murder was motivated by Brown's sexual orientation." Brown was gay.
Jeff Solis, who worked with Brown at Theatre Off Park, told Back Stage, "Jamie was a wonderful director. His specialty was Irish plays, and even though "Of the Fields, Lately' was actually Canadian, it had a lot in common with Irish dramas. It was one of the first plays for the actor Chris Cooper, who went on to do all the John Sayles movies and played the next door neighbor in "American Beauty.' Jamie really believed in him, and worked with him to develop his character."
Brown's last known address in New York was Manhattan Plaza, the apartment complex for performing arts professionals on 43rd Street.