Former lover convicted of homicide in brutal death of Kania Brunson, 20, after wife learned of affair
Kania Brunson, 20, had a lot going for her.
The Milwaukee woman was young and affable, with an infectious, always-ready-for-a-camera smile on her face. She had big dreams of one day becoming an orthodontist or a veterinarian, but was recently leaning toward a career in cosmetology.
Brunson was also a secret – Sultan Shareef's secret.
Shareef, now 54, had been having a sexual relationship with her since she was a teen. At some point, word about their relationship got out and reached the ears of Shareef's wife.
That's when prosecutors say the Milwaukee man decided to take Brunson's life by assaulting her, shooting her and burning her body in an alleyway in the north part of the city in September 2022.
After a six-day trial, a Milwaukee County jury needed all of 45 minutes Monday to convict Shareef of first-degree intentional homicide, party to a crime, and mutilating a corpse.
The homicide conviction comes with a mandatory life sentence.
“I’m very pleased an happy with the verdict," Brunson's father, Shawnte Brunson, said as tears came down his face. "It was a long time waiting. I want to thank everybody for doing such a great job with this case. It gave me and my family healing.
“I’m just happy I got justice for my baby.”
Defense lawyer Jason Carlos Gonzalez pleaded with jurors to put aside his client's faults and personal shortcomings, many of which surfaced in testimony during the trial. He urged them to objectively weigh the merits of the evidence, which he described as "circumstantial."
"Mr. Shareef is the victim of tunnel vision in this investigation," said Gonzalez, of Milwaukee.
But it was the prosecution's argument that landed with the jury. In closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Ian Vance-Curzan said a combination of evidence from videos, cellphone locations and witness testimony all fit neatly into place.
"All of the evidence in this case points to Sultan Shareef being the person who is guilty of this crime," he said. "There is no other fair and rational way to look at the evidence. He had the motive. He was cheating on his wife. Kania told on him.
"His world was falling apart. His marriage was falling apart. He was losing control so he did everything he could to get away with it."
Why did Sultan Shareef kill Kania Brunson?
Prosecutors say he dated Brunson for years. He told investigators it was casual.
She fell in love with Shareef, a previously convicted felon who was known to illegally carry one, sometimes two guns at all times.
Shareef didn't share Brunson's feelings. He was already married.
Shareef told investigators he intended to cut off the relationship. But prosecutors say he killed her after Brunson started reaching out to his wife about the affair, possibly with the hope his wife would leave him.
They say Shareef and another man disposed of her body by burning it in a recycling bin near Keefe Avenue and Palmer Street.
Prosecutors believe Shareef killed her "in a fit of rage" and lit her on fire to hide evidence.
Her body was so badly burned that it was difficult to determine the gender initially; investigators used dental records to identify her.
Milwaukee police Det. Melvin Finkley testified Brunson's wrists were bound with wire or some kind of twine.
Eyewitnesses helped police retrace Kania Brunson's final steps
Several people testified having seen Brunson in Shareef's company around the time she went missing.
Carvester Carver, a longtime friend of Shareef, ran into Shareef and Brunson at an auto mechanic shop that morning. Shareef wanted to get radiator work done on Brunson's Hyundai.
Carver said a "panicked" Shareef called him later and told him he needed him. Carver testified he returned to the shop and saw Shareef pinning down Brunson in the backseat with his knee and jabbing her in the side with a screwdriver. Her throat was slashed, but she was still able to plead for help.
Carver said Shareef tried to recruit him to help dispose of Brunson. He refused and warned Shareef that he wouldn't let Shareef leave with the injured woman. Shareef grabbed a gun from the dashboard and Carver backed off. Shareef then drove away with Brunson in the car. Carver called 911 and gave police a description and partial license plate of Shareef's car, and also identified him as the assailant. A few days later, flyers began circulating listing Brunson as a missing person.
"I saw you stabbing that girl with a Phillips-head screwdriver," Carver said from the witness stand on Wednesday, glaring at Shareef. "You did that."
A 39-year-old man, Justin Fields, who was cooking in his home nearby, called 911 when he was drawn to the smoke and flames. "At first, I thought it was trash burning." On a closer look, he could make out arms and legs.
It was a body. He testified he had his music turned up high and didn't hear any commotion before discovering the carnage.
The key evidence against Sultan Shareef
Police obtained footage from surveillance cameras at several nearby businesses and homes and were able to place Shareef's vehicle at the alley Brunson's burned body was discovered.
Vance-Curzan also said that when police located one of Shereef's vehicles, Brunson's blood was found inside.
Investigators also obtained cellphone records that showed Shareef's device was at the scene.
Was anyone else charged?
Johnny Hopgood, Jr., Shareef's brother-in-law, initially was charged in the case with mutilating a corpse and aiding a felon.
He made a deal with prosecutors in November to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of obstructing an officer in exchange for his testimony against Shareef. He was sentenced to time served and 10 years of probation.
What is next for Sultan Shareef?
Shareef will appear again at a sentencing hearing Jan. 24.
A conviction of first-degree intentional homicides comes with a mandatory life sentence, but the hearing will also allow friends and family of Brunson to address the court and Shareef.
Elliot Hughes of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man guilty in 2022 homicide of Kania Brunson, 20
