Argument Leads to Murder Indictment

April 26, 2021 – An ongoing argument that spanned some 12 hours and two separate locations last fall has led to murder charges for a man alleged to have ended it with early-morning gunfire, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.

A grand jury indicted defendant Brandon J. Richardson, 33, on one count of second-degree murder. He is free on $300,000 bond.

The incident occurred around 5 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2020, outside a home in the 1600 block of National St. near Chelsea and Jackson avenues in northeast Memphis.

Investigators said Richardson’s brother and victim Cortez Milan, 21, were involved in a dispute that began about 5 p.m. the previous day at the residence on National. The argument later turned into an altercation when Milan drove to Richardson’s residence in Raleigh looking for his brother.

Hours later, at around 5 a.m., Milan outside his residence on National when Richardson walked up with a handgun in one hand and an assault-style rifle in the other. Investigators said he began shooting, striking Milan multiple times and killing him.

Richardson was taken into custody and charged about five days later.

The case is being handled by Senior Felony Assistant Neil Umsted of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 3 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 11 and in Criminal Court Division 3.