Jeanine Brown used to talk to her daughter Amanda every day. But June 15, 2021, was different—she didn’t hear from her daughter, and that one day changed everything.
Tearing up on the witness stand in Cumberland County Superior Court, Jeanine shared the heart-wrenching story of how she found out her daughter Amanda was gone.
On that summer day over three years ago, Amanda’s boss called Jeanine to say Amanda hadn’t shown up for work. When Jeanine reached out to Amanda’s boyfriend, Brandon Libby, he claimed Amanda was just sick but wouldn’t let her talk to her daughter. Soon after, he stopped responding to her texts.
The next morning, desperate for answers, Jeanine drove to Amanda’s home in Standish, Maine. She was stopped by a sheriff’s deputy at the end of the road. That’s when she learned the unthinkable—Amanda’s body had been found by police.
Now, Brandon Libby is on trial for Amanda’s murder. Prosecutors say the 37-year-old shot Amanda in the stomach during a fight on June 14, 2021. She was just 30 years old.
Libby didn’t call for help, and it wasn’t until two days later that he spoke with the police. Even then, it was during a standoff at a home in Waterboro, Maine, where he barricaded himself for hours.
In court, Libby’s defense team argued that Amanda was the one holding the gun and that it accidentally went off when Libby tried to knock it away. His lawyers, Matthew Crockett and Daniel Wentworth, insisted Libby didn’t intentionally harm Amanda.
Prosecutors, however, plan to use evidence from the autopsy, the gun, and the crime scene to piece together what they believe really happened.
Jeanine Brown was the first witness to take the stand, sharing memories of her daughter and talking about Amanda’s rocky relationship with Libby. She described it as “very volatile,” saying they argued often, and Amanda was frequently upset with him.
“She was mad most of the time at him,” Jeanine testified. “He was very unhelpful, self-centered… They fought often on the phone when I was present.”
The defense chose not to question Jeanine.
Another witness, Libby’s ex-fiancée Natasha Carruthers, also testified. She revealed that Libby came to her Waterboro home twice after the shooting. Carruthers and Libby share two children and had broken off their engagement in 2012.
Carruthers said Libby told her he and Amanda had a bad fight, and the gun went off during the struggle. “He was a wreck,” she said. “He was crying, hysterical.”
Two days after the shooting, Libby sent Carruthers disturbing text messages, including, “Things aren’t good. At all… I’m done.” Concerned, Carruthers called 911 when she suspected he might have tried to overdose.
Earlier that day, Libby’s brother had also called 911, saying he had to take a gun away from Libby. Libby had shown up at his brother’s house in crisis before heading to Carruthers’ home.
When police arrived, a standoff ensued. Carruthers spent hours hiding behind a police car while officers tried to convince Libby to surrender.
State Police Sgt. Jessica Shorey, a crisis negotiator, spent two hours on the phone with Libby, trying to coax him out. He refused, saying he was scared of the barking dogs and the guns pointed at him.
Eventually, Libby came out but didn’t comply with police commands. A K-9 officer bit him, leading to immediate medical attention at a nearby hospital.
Sgt. George “GJ” Neagle, a K-9 handler, explained that the dog was trained to act out of caution, especially since there was a possibility Libby could have been armed or intended to retreat back inside the house.
The trial continues, with prosecutors determined to piece together the final moments of Amanda Brown’s life and bring justice to her family.
