Deadly Greed: The Tale of Notorious Fugitive Jason Derek Brown
In November 2004, Jason Derek Brown robbed and murdered a 24-year-old armored car guard in Phoenix, Arizona in order to continue his extravagant lifestyle. Two decades later, he remains a fugitive
Background
On November 29th, 2004, a quiet Phoenix morning was marked by a vicious act of violence. Outside a local theater, 24-year-old Robert Keith Palomares was loading his armored vehicle with the weekend’s deposits. Before he could react, he was ambushed and shot to death by a lone attacker.
The killer then seized over $50,000 in cash, hopped on a bicycle, and vanished. This was no ordinary robbery- It was the beginning of a nationwide manhunt for Jason Derek Brown, a former Mormon missionary turned murderer.
For over 20 years, Brown has managed to evade justice, earning him a place on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Jason Derek Brown
Jason Derek Brown was born on July 1st, 1969, in Los Angeles, California. Jason and his three siblings were raised in Laguna Beach, and their family was part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to later statements from his sister Jami, their father, David John Brown Sr., was a physically abusive con man.
Journalist Paige Williams, who interviewed Jami, noted that David Sr. had been expelled from Brigham Young University for petty theft, had an ongoing gambling problem, and occasionally recruited his children to help in his stealing or conning.
After their parents divorced, David Sr. used cash bribes to keep Jason’s interest and affection. Despite the lack of a positive male role model, Jason managed to keep himself out of trouble during his youth.
In 1988, Jason embarked on a two-year mission to serve the Mormon Church, during which he was called to serve abroad in Paris, France. He earned an MBA in international business, and while on his mission, Jason met his future fiancée.
Their union, however, was short-lived. After marrying in 1991, the couple divorced in 1995. That same year, Jason’s father left the family without notice, presumably to escape the mess of debts and bad credit he had created for himself.
This is where, according to Jami, Jason’s life took a turn for the worse.
Drowning in Debt
Friends and family say that Brown fell into many of the same vices as his father: gambling, living beyond his means, and chasing the high of a life he could only pretend to afford.
He spent money like it was nothing and became a notorious grifter in an effort to continue financing his debaucherous lifestyle. Brown allegedly also began abusing drugs and alcohol, and frequently hung around with “strippers and partiers,” according to friends and an ex-girlfriend.
Brown lived at multiple addresses in California cities before relocating to Utah. He ran several business operations out of his home in Salt Lake City, including a golf import business and his two primary companies, Toys Unlimited and On the Doorstep Advertising.
The former became Brown’s primary focus, but he was in the business of whatever made him the most money with the least amount of work. In 2003, Brown briefly lived in Arizona as he attempted to expand his golf business.
Despite his diversified business portfolio, the inflow of cash was not nearly enough to pay for Brown’s excessive spending habits. By 2004, Brown had amassed a substantial debt and defaulted on a significant loan. All the while, Brown fought to maintain his façade of wealth, even as the bills piled up.