Charges filed in murder of 20-year-old woman, victim’s family speaks out

By Michele Fiore

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    MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (WDJT) — Criminal charges were filed this week, one month after the life of a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman came to a violent end. CBS 58’s Michele Fiore sat down with the victim’s parents.

Kania Brunson’s mom calls her daughter her best friend. Two men face charges, but the criminal complaint points to lies others told, and for that, Brunson’s mom’s pressing ahead.

Kania Brunson turned 20 in June. A joy to be around.

“She can make you smile right away. You know me and her, we laugh about the silliest things,” said Cameron Meadows, Kania’s stepdad.

Brunson wanted to be an orthodontist or a vet, later learning she was good at making others look good, so she enrolled in beauty school.

“She actually taught me how to put on eyelashes and do my eyebrows,” said Jennifer Meadows, Kania’s mom.

“I wasn’t even there 30 minutes and they called and told me her car was found, and I knew then, at that point, like something happened to her,” said Jennifer Meadows.

The day of the murder police say Brunson met up with a married man she’d been seeing, Sutan Shareef. Strangely, he’d reached out to Brunson’s mom a week earlier.

“He goes on to say I want to be done messing with your daughter but she’s reaching out to my wife,” Jennifer Meadows said.

Sept. 24 a friend of Shareef called 911 after he says he saw Shareef on top of the victim in Shareef’s car and that “the female stated, ‘he cut my throat,’ she was screaming and pleading for help.”

Police didn’t locate the two then, but hours later were called to an alley near Keefe and Palmer where Brunson had been tied, shot and then set on fire.

“She was everything to me. She was everything and this is the most hurtful feeling,” said Jennifer Meadows.

Police interviewed several people, including Shareef’s wife, who claimed he’d been with her the night of the murder, which the complaint says was debunked through video evidence.

“And they think that they’re gonna be out here and live their normal life after they, you know, helped with this,” said Jennifer Meadows.

Shareef’s brother-in-law, Johnny Allen Hopgood, is charged as an accomplice.

“I just want the same thing that my wife wants. I want justice and I want it to be at the full extent. It’s still unbelievable. It’s still hard to believe that you know, she’s not here with us,” said Cameron Meadows.

Bond for Sultan Shareef is $500,000 and for Johnny Allen Hopgood it’s $50,000. Both are due back in court next week.

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