A 33-year-old Missouri man will spend decades behind bars for the shocking murder of his pregnant girlfriend, a crime committed right in front of her two young children. Sevance Brewer admitted to fatally shooting 27-year-old Brittany Toalson in her home last year, killing her and her unborn child.
On Friday, Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court sentenced Brewer to life in prison for the 2023 killings. Brittany’s grieving family had hoped for a harsher punishment, but Brewer struck a plea deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder, which meant other charges, including armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm, were dropped. Under Missouri law, Brewer’s life sentence means 30 years in prison, and he’ll need to serve at least 85% of that time before he’s eligible for parole.
The tragedy unfolded on August 1, 2023, at Brittany’s home on North Clearview Road in Boone County. Deputies responded to reports of a shooting and found Brittany with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. At the time of her death, she was four months pregnant.
Witnesses quickly pointed to Brewer as the shooter. Investigators also found footage from Brittany’s doorbell camera showing Brewer leaving her house with a gun in his hand moments after the shooting. When questioned, Brewer admitted to the crime. He told investigators that he and Brittany had been arguing that morning. Later, he grabbed a handgun from a shelf, and the argument escalated. Brewer said he fired the gun, hitting Brittany, and watched as she fell back, bleeding.
Two young children, just 3 and 4 years old, were in the house when the shooting happened. Brewer took the children with him when he fled the scene. He was later arrested, and authorities say he led them to the murder weapon, which was hidden under a rock in a creek nearby.
Brittany’s family members are heartbroken and angry about the plea deal. Her mother, Tammy Toalson, said she had hoped Brewer would get the death penalty or life without parole. “I do not feel justice was served,” she said. “He didn’t even apologize to us.”
Turquise President, Brittany’s cousin, shared similar frustration. “He didn’t feel anything—no remorse,” she said. “He was a drug addict. He cared about nothing but drugs and his stupid games.”
Reports revealed that Brewer had a history of domestic violence involving Brittany. He had faced charges related to abusing her in both 2019 and 2021. For Brittany’s family, the sentencing brings some closure, but the pain of losing her and her unborn child will never fully fade.
