Police say man tried to kill girlfriend, wrote song about her being in ICU

Curtis Brown, 25, was arrested Tuesday and faces charges of attempted murder, battery constituting domestic violence with substantial bodily harm and domestic battery by strangulation, according to jail and court records.

Brown injured his on-again, off-again girlfriend in an alcohol-fueled fight in early June, the Metropolitan Police Department said in an arrest report.

She has been hospitalized with cardiac arrests, respiratory arrests, kidney failure, liver failure and a traumatic brain injury, the report said.

Police said they were told by medical staff that the woman is unlikely to recover.

According to police, Brown recently wrote a song about his girlfriend whose lyrics include “I can’t talk to the one I love because she’s in the ICU” and “I hate the fact she can’t talk right now(,) she’s on a ventilator.”

It’s not clear in the report why the two fought. The sister of Brown’s girlfriend told police that she thought her sister had told Brown she no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him, the report said. Brown said in a police interview that they argued about his girlfriend texting other men and drinking, according to Metro.

It’s also not clear exactly when the fight took place. Brown’s brother told police it was on June 8, according to the report, but the victim’s sister and mother said it was on June 1.

The report alleged that Brown tried to kill his girlfriend by slamming her head into the floor. The victim’s sister told police Brown also lifted her by her neck, according to Metro.

Police accused him of intentionally obstructing his girlfriend’s breathing or blood circulation by applying pressure to her throat or neck.

The victim’s sister told police that the victim woke up the next day in pain and was taken to the hospital days later, the report said.

Brown’s relatives told a different story in police interviews, according to the report.

His mother told police “he pushed her and she fell,” and she then had a “stomach bug” a few days later.

His brother said Brown never grabbed the victim’s neck, but pushed her, which led to her falling because he had thrown a bucket of water on her that made the floor slippery.

Brown told police he shook his girlfriend and threw a bucket of bleach and water on her, but he denied putting his hands on her neck. He later said he had grabbed her by the arms and shoved her to the floor, according to the report. She might have hit her head on a table before hitting the floor, he suggested.

On YouTube, Brown’s song, “A Letter to Candace,” had 63 views as of Friday morning.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.