A Louisville man is under arrest, accused of gunning down a close friend and then appearing at the victim’s funeral as a pallbearer, posing for photographs with the slain man’s mother and young children, according to court documents and police statements obtained by WDRB News.
Malik Deshawn Johnson, 28, was already in custody on prior murder charges when a grand jury handed down a superseding indictment this week, charging him with the July 2025 killing of 30-year-old Patrick Damon Dwayne Brents Jr. The indictment alleges Johnson shot Brents inside a Louisville smoke shop, then, just days later, posted a Facebook tribute from the funeral, captioning it with the words “You started. So it was only right I finish it.
I got two kids, brother, and mama for L. Loyalty.” The post included photos of Johnson carrying the casket and embracing Brents’ mother and two sons.
Louisville Metro Police Department detectives say the case is part of a broader, bloody feud between rival street factions that has left at least six people dead over three years. Johnson is also charged with the January 2023 murder of Monte Robinson, the July 2025 murder of Devyon Jefferson, and two non-fatal shootings. His co-defendant, Andrew Demar Jackson, 30, faces separate murder charges for the killings of Andre Lewis, Wayne Woods Jr.
, and Patrick Brents Jr. , though prosecutors allege Jackson and Johnson acted together in Jefferson’s death.
The funeral attendance allegation has sent shockwaves through Louisville’s West End, where neighbors say they are struggling to reconcile the image of a grieving friend with the accusation of cold-blooded murder. “He was smiling in those pictures, hugging the kids, wiping the mom’s tears,” said a resident who asked not to be named. “Now we find out he might have been the one who made them orphans.
That’s sick.”
Court records show that on August 25, 2025, Brents was shot multiple times at a convenience store on Beecher Street. Police arrived to find him dead at the scene. Surveillance footage and witness statements led detectives to Johnson, who had been a close associate of Brents for years.
The two were known to be part of the same social circle, often seen together at local hangouts and on social media. Johnson’s Facebook page, under the alias “Leek Young,” was filled with photos of the pair laughing and posing with guns.
The funeral took place on September 6, 2025, at a church in the Shawnee neighborhood. Johnson served as a pallbearer, and afterward, he posted the now-viral images. “Nobody wins when the family feud,” one commenter wrote, referencing a popular street phrase.
But for Brents’ family, the betrayal felt like a knife in the back. His mother, Carolyn Brents, was already grieving when she learned of Johnson’s arrest. She declined to comment, but her attorney told WDRB she is “devastated beyond words.”
The case gets even more tangled. Seven months after Patrick Brents Jr. was killed, his father, Patrick Brents Sr.
, 57, shot and killed his own wife, Carolyn, during an argument about cleaning the house. Court documents say Brents Sr. pulled a gun and shot Carolyn in the abdomen in front of her son, who had been living with them.
Patrick Brents Sr. claimed the gun discharged accidentally, but he was charged with first-degree domestic violence murder. He is currently in jail awaiting trial.
This series of tragedies has put a spotlight on the cycle of violence in Louisville, a city that consistently ranks among the deadliest in the nation per capita. LMPD Chief of Police Michael Williams told reporters that the drop in overall violent crime allowed detectives to focus on cold cases, leading to the latest indictments. “We had a backlog of homicides.
Our team went back through evidence, re-interviewed witnesses, and used DNA and cell phone data to connect these dots,” Williams said.
The indictment against Johnson and Jackson includes charges for the July 2025 murder of Devyon Jefferson, who was shot and killed outside a residence on West Oak Street. The very next day, a fire and explosion destroyed a nearby building, which prosecutors allege was set to destroy evidence. Both men are also linked to a pair of non-fatal shootings in 2025.
Jackson, who was already incarcerated for two other murders, now faces a total of four homicide counts.
Social media has exploded with speculation about who might be cooperating with authorities. Some posts claim Johnson “snitched” on his own crew, but the indictment does not mention any cooperation. Legal experts say the evidence likely includes forensic analysis, cell tower records, and witness testimony unrelated to any deal.
“The speed at which they were indicted after the earlier arrests suggests strong forensic ties,” said criminal defense attorney Lisa Kowalski, who is not involved in the case. “DNA and ballistics are harder to dispute than a jailhouse informant.”
Johnson’s attorney declined to comment on the specific allegations but said his client maintains his innocence. Jackson’s lawyer did not return calls. Both men are scheduled to appear in court next week.
For the Brents family, the pain is compounded by the knowledge that the man who carried their son’s coffin might have been the one who put him in it. “How do you look a mother in the eye after you take her child?” asked a family friend at a vigil held Wednesday night.
“He smiled in her face. He hugged her kids. He knew what he did.”
The case has also reignited debate about gun violence in Louisville, where the number of homicides topped 150 in 2025. Community leaders are calling for more mental health resources and intervention programs. “These kids are not born monsters.
Something happens along the way,” said Pastor James Carter of New Hope Baptist Church. “We need to reach them before they become pallbearers for their own victims.”
As the legal process unfolds, detectives are not ruling out additional charges. The investigation into the series of shootings and the connection between Johnson and Jackson remains active. LMPD urges anyone with information to call the anonymous tip line.
In the meantime, the images of a smiling man holding a child whose father he is accused of killing will haunt Louisville for a long time. “It’s not just a crime,” said one neighbor. “It’s a desecration of trust.
It’s a violation of everything we think we know about friendship.”
The trial is expected to begin later this year. Both men are being held without bond.
