(From left: Sultan Shareef. Middle: Kania Brunson. Right: Johnny Hopgood Jr. Photo credits: hollywoodunlocked)*Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post which involve murder and the desecration of remains. I will, as always try to be as sensitive as I can be whilst stating the facts of the case*
In my final instalment of The Sugarbaby Murders series, I wanted to briefly share this shocking case which took place quite recently in Milwaukee, a city in the USA in September of 2022. 20 year old Kania Brunson was a beautiful young woman from a close family who was just about to attend college and work on her future dreams. Kania was a bright young woman who was still trying to decide which field of work she wanted to do, she was always interested in cosmetology but she also had thoughts of the possibility of a career as a dentist or veterinarian. Popular with friends and loved by those that knew her, the world was pretty much her oyster and she was excited to see what the future held.
Like a lot of students, she struggled financially but tried not to let financial worries get her down. For a young woman who seemed to have a bright future ahead and appeared to take any troubles in her stride, nobody knew the other side of Kania's life until those potential dreams and years were cruelly stolen from her.
For Kania's personal life was troubled. As a naive teenager she had gotten involved with a man in his 50s who promised her the world and when times were financially tough, she found herself becoming more involved with him. The man she was involved with was already married and had a lengthy criminal record behind him. He may have had the money but it was clear where he had gotten that money from, illegal activities and by the time Kania was starting college, she had already become financially dependent on him.
Sultan Shareef not only had a bad past as a drug dealer but he'd spent years in and out of prison in the 1990s and it was clear that even though he was no longer behind bars, he was still up to his old activities. The pair had been having a toxic relationship for years and when Sultan decided that he'd had enough of the relationship and helping Kania, the situation got worse.
Kania had pleaded with him to continue to help her financially especially as she was going to college but he refused. In an act of revenge, Kania decided to contact Sultan's wife and told her everything that had been going on between them. When Sultan found out he was full of rage and tried to cover things up with his wife and then set about looking for Kania.
When Sultan finally caught up with Kania, he decided to silence her for good in the most evil way. The poor girl (as naive as she was she didn't deserve what ended up happening to her) had been tied up with wire, shot, stabbed to death and (with the help of his brother in law) her body was burned in a recycling bin. Her remains were then dumped in an alleyway. Kania had to be identified by her dental records.
It wasn't long before the police knew who was responsible and Sultan and his brother in law were arrested.
Sultan denied killing Kania but the evidence against him was overwhelming. His brother in law (Johnny Hopgood Jr) who helped burn Kania's body, was given a plea deal if he gave up the full details of what happened. He was classed as having 'time served' and put on a 10 year probation order. In other words, he pretty much got away with his part in the gruesome act.
Sultan Shareef was sentenced to life in prison, he tried to appeal his sentence claiming that he was an innocent man but his appeal was rejected.
What happened to Kania was a cruel and cold hearted, selfish act that saw the promising future of a bright, young woman just wiped out and what for? a selfish career criminal who wasn't happy that more of his lies had been exposed? Kania was 20 years old and he was in his mid 50s, he'd been having an inappropriate relationship with her since she was a teenager. He had somehow manipulated her into thinking that she needed him in her life, especially financially. The situation was indeed very toxic and Kania should never have been involved with him but she didn't deserve to lose her life and to have been treated in such a horrific and disrespectful way. He was the adult and he was married, he should have known better but he obviously was never one to be told what to do or have respect for others since he made his illegal living off the back of the vulnerability of others.
My heart goes out to Kania's family and to Kania herself who (it is clear to see) has left a lasting effect on this world to those who knew her for all of her amazing qualities.
We all make mistakes when we are young, we've all maybe had relationships we shouldn't have entered into. Nobody is a saint and we don't know the full story of what went on between Kania and Sultan. It's a sad and heartbreaking story but again, a cautionary tale, to be careful of who we trust.
''If I go to hell,...I'll see you there.'' - Shawnte Brunson (what Kania's father shouted to Sultan in the courtroom).
RIP Kania, your beautiful smile and the memories that you have left will never be forgotten.
Further reading & sources:
- Kania Brunson: Article | Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
- Kania Brunson: Article | CBS 58 News
- Kania Brunson: Article | WISN
- Kania Brunson: Article | Hollywood Unlocked
Thank you for joining me in this final part of The Sugarbaby Murders series, I hope that you found this series informative and interesting as tragic and heartbreaking as the cases were. My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families who I have written about briefly in this series.
I will be back next time with a new case, at the moment I am not sure which that will be but I will be checking out my list of cases that I have not covered. As always, I welcome your requests or any comments either below, on my socials or by email at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com
Take care and I'll (hopefully) see you in the next post x
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