Murder charges lodged in 2 separate Key West attacks

Two Key West criminal cases were upgraded to murder this week when in each case the victim died after the initial arrest.

Justin Calhoun, 24, who identifies as female, was arrested for murder while still in jail being

held without bond for the brutal attack on Mark Brann, 67, at a New Town home on 12th Street early Aug. 14.

Brann was left stabbed in both eyes and with a piece of broken wood jammed down his throat, police said. Calhoun admitted to the attack, saying it started when she accused Brann of being a cannibal and Brann grabbed a gun which went off during a struggle, according to detectives.

No one was shot, police said. Calhoun then racked the pistol planning to shoot Brann with it, but the firearm jammed.

Calhoun retaliated by stabbing Brann in both eyes with a pen, according to reports.

“Calhoun then inserted a piece of broken wood into Brann’s mouth, stood up, and then stomped on the piece of wood to lodge it further down into Brann’s throat,” according to the arrest affidavit, which quotes Calhoun as saying she wanted to silence Brann.

The wood piece came from a dresser that was broken during the fight.

Calhoun then grabbed a dresser drawer and beat Brann about the head and throat with it, detectives said.

“Calhoun admitted [she] went beyond self-defense,” wrote Detective Jeffrey Dean.

Calhoun said she grabbed her backpack, some money and a dress to wear and jumped out of the bedroom window while naked, police reported. She avoided police for a time by jumping fences and climbing on roof tops.

Fred Hauch, 53, was also arrested for murder this week while locked up at the Stock Island Detention Center for sucker-punching Steve Sanderson, 62, twice at a gas station off White Street and Truman Avenue on Aug. 19.

Sanderson, like Brann, was airlifted to a Miami hospital but later died of his injuries.

A witness to the incident said Sanderson was hanging out in the area of the Chevron gas station and was speaking negatively about one of the employees who was not at work, according to the arrest report.

Hauch asked the witness if he should “kick [his] ass,” meaning Sanderson and the witness said she replied yes because she believed Hauch was joking.

Hauch later told police he didn’t mean to seriously injure Sanderson.

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 9:07 AM with the headline "Murder charges lodged in 2 separate Key West attacks."