Self-proclaimed ‘contract killer’ helped kill friend’s mother, CA officials say
A self-proclaimed “contract killer” is headed to prison after being convicted in the killing of his friend’s mother, California prosecutors say.
Luther Brown, 53, was sentenced to 55 years to life in prison in connection with the 2020 slaying of 65-year-old Laura Doyle, the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said in a July 30 news release.
Brown and Laura Doyle’s son, 36-year-old Brendan Doyle, were convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in April 2024, prosecutors said.
Neither an attorney for Brown nor Brendan Doyle immediately responded to McClatchy News’ request for comment July 31.
“This is a disturbing and despicable case of murder of one’s own mother for financial gain,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said in the release.
After entering his mother’s home in 2019, Brendan Doyle is accused of strangling “her until she agreed to write him two checks in the amount of $1,000,” prosecutors said.
Brendan Doyle later met with Brown to come up with a plan to kill his mother “to acquire her $1.5 million trust fund,” according to prosecutors.
In October 2020, prosecutors said Laura Doyle was found dead “with no obvious injuries” inside her home.
Neighbors reached out to officials, “saying that if Ms. Doyle was dead, her son should be investigated,” prompting a police investigation, prosecutors said.
An autopsy determined Laura Doyle’s cause of death was “brutal strangulation resulting in multiple fractures,” according to prosecutors.
Following Laura Doyle’s death, Brendan Doyle “went on a shopping spree” using her credit card, racking up $11,000 in charges, according to prosecutors.
A month after his mother’s death, prosecutors said Brendan Doyle was arrested.
Investigators found DNA evidence on Laura Doyle’s clothing at the time of death that “linked Brown to the crime scene,” prosecutors said.
“Brown was a self-proclaimed ‘contract killer’ and bragged to a roommate about killing someone for a friend back in fall of 2020,” prosecutors said, adding that he was arrested in 2021.
After getting search warrants for Brown and Brendan Doyle’s electronic devices, prosecutors said investigators found social media conversations between the pair, specifically some that discussed Laura Doyle and “entry into her home leading up to the murder.”
In addition to murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Brendan Doyle was also “convicted of identity theft and robbery,” prosecutors said.
Brendan Doyle was sentenced to 28 years of life in prison in his mother’s death in August 2024 and continues to fight for rights to his mother’s trust in probate court, according to prosecutors.
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Self-proclaimed ‘contract killer’ helped kill friend’s mother, CA officials say."
