Larry Dean Brown, arrested on a murder charge in the 1981 cold-case strangulation death of Beverly Bruneau in Grapevine, was released Monday after posting a bond, jail records show.
Brown, 79, was arrested in June 2026 in connection with the 1981 murder of Beverly “Casey” Bruneau, a 35-year-old Braniff Airlines flight attendant who was found strangled in her Grapevine apartment. For decades the case remained unsolved until advances in DNA technology led investigators to reexamine evidence collected from the crime scene. Blood found on Bruneau’s nightgown yielded an unknown male DNA profile, and in 2026 investigators reportedly obtained discarded items from Brown’s Colorado residence to collect a comparison sample. Authorities say the DNA matched the profile recovered from the victim’s clothing, leading to Brown’s indictment and extradition to Tarrant County to face a murder charge.
According to investigators, Brown’s wife was Bruneau’s best friend and co-owned a house with her. Detectives believe Brown had been pressuring Bruneau to sign insurance documents related to repairs after an arson fire at the property. Family members told investigators that Bruneau refused to sign the documents and had become fearful of Brown following a heated confrontation just days before her death. Prosecutors contend this dispute may have provided a motive for the killing.
The case is now moving through the Tarrant County court system. Brown has been formally indicted and remains charged with murder while awaiting trial. His defense has argued that the evidence is largely circumstantial and has suggested that any DNA could have resulted from innocent prior contact with Bruneau rather than involvement in the crime. No trial date has been announced, and Brown is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
