KILLER WHINES: ‘I’M A VICTIM . . .’
. . . from the murder he committed
There’s an old saw about a man who killed his parents and then begged the judge for mercy — because he was an orphan.
Well, that guy’s got nothing on Kwauhuru Govan.
He was convicted last month for the cold-case abduction and murder of a 17-year-old girl, but at his sentencing Friday — with his victim’s relatives watching in disgust — Govan pleaded for leniency, telling a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge that he knew what it was like to lose family, including his 19-year-old cousin.
The thing is, Govan is awaiting trial for killing — and dismembering — that same cousin.
A jury found Govan guilty for the 2004 murder of high-school student Sharabia Thomas, whose naked body he crammed into two laundry bags and dumped in a Bushwick alley. She had been strangled and had ligature marks on her wrists and ankles.
Prosecutors said Govan abducted the petite teen to test out a homemade sex device, using her as an unwilling guinea pig before he killed her.
“I have lost my family, as well,” the 40-year-old killer said softly before he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. “My grandmother, my uncle — even my cousin.”
Govan faces trial for the murder and dismemberment of that 19-year-old cousin, Rashawn Brazell, who lived across the street from him.
Govan told police that his gay cousin was an “abomination” to him as a Jehovah’s Witness.
In court Friday, he bizarrely even claimed he was victimized by Thomas’ slaying.
“I, too, am a victim of seconddegree murder,” he said in court, apparently referring to Thomas’ slaying. “I am not the culprit.”
At one point, his own statements even creepily echoed assertions made earlier in the proceeding by Thomas’ sister, when he called the teen victim “a fighter.”
Govan was nabbed in 2016 after a cold-case team retested fingernail clippings from Thomas, and the results came back as a match for Govan. His DNA was on file following a conviction for armed robbery in Florida.
“My sister fought for her life,” Thomas’ younger sibling, Rachel Roberts, told the court before Govan spoke. “And if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have solved this case.”
Thomas’ aunt, Leila Smalls, delivered their family’s parting words.
“I’m grateful you were dumb enough to keep committing crimes,” she told Govan, who never once turned to look at any of the four family members who spoke at his sentencing. “But you’ve made your bed — please, sleep well in it.”
Outside court, defense attorney Jonathan Strauss said his client intends to appeal.
“We will pursue all of the available appellate recourse that is available to demonstrate Mr. Govan is a wrongfully convicted man and is, in fact, innocent,” he said.
Govan is due back in court Oct. 31 for the setting of a trial date in the Brazell case.