2 Held in Slaying of Murder Witness, 8

Two brothers were charged in Bridgeport, Conn., with killing an 8-year-old boy and his mother to keep the youngster from testifying against one of them in a murder case. Russell Peeler, 27, and Adrian Peeler, 23, were charged with murder, conspiracy and other offenses in the slayings of Leroy “B.J.” Brown Jr. and his mother, Karen Clarke, 29, who were found shot to death in their home. Leroy had been scheduled to testify against Russell Peeler in the 1998 slaying of Clarke’s fiance. The boy had witnessed an earlier drive-by shooting in which Peeler allegedly attempted to kill the man. U.S. Attorney Stephen Robinson said the boy and his mother were “apparently murdered for living up to their civic duty.”