Robert Brent

Kiada Sullivan's Story

UPDATE: Child killer Robert Brent died in prison on October 22, 2017. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to help ensure he fulfilled his full life sentence. Justice has been served.

An Unfathomable Murder

On October 18, 1987, at around 10AM, witnesses saw Robert D. Brent driving recklessly at a high rate of speed in a silver Camaro. Brent’s 12-year-old son, Kiada Sullivan, was in the passenger seat of the vehicle. Ten minutes earlier, Brent had been involved in a hit-skip accident with another vehicle.

According to witnesses, the Camaro screeched to a halt and Brent jumped from the car with a gun in his hand. Brent went around to the passenger side of the vehicle. Kiada started begging his father not to shoot him. Brent then fired two or three shots into the car and shattered the passenger window. Kiada collapsed in the passenger’s seat. Brent then calmly walked away from the scene.

One of the witnesses ran to the police station and reported the crime. The witness led police to Brent, who was calmly walking down the street. When officers approached Brent, he struggled with them before being arrested. Police found the .38 caliber revolver tucked in his belt. After his arrest Brent told police, “The boy didn’t deserve to live.”

Kiada was pronounced dead at the scene. He had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the left chest. The bullet went through Kiada’s diaphragm, left lung and heart. He never had a chance.

Kiada left behind his mother, his older brother, two step brothers and two step sisters. Kiada, who was a seventh grader at Audubon Junior High School, was very athletic and loved sports. He was quarterback for the Woodland Recreation Center football team and played center for the basketball team. Kiada also played softball and ran track. His mother described him as “a very good, thoughtful and caring person.”

Guilty Without Remorse

Brent pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. His trial lasted six days. It took the jury one day to find Brent guilty of Murder. Brent was also convicted of having a weapon under disability. The second charge resulted from Brent not being allowed to carry a weapon because he was found guilty in 1970 of carrying a loaded concealed weapon. Brent received 15 years to Life plus an additional three years for the gun specification. Those sentences were ordered to run consecutively (back to back). Brent also received a one and a half to five year sentence for carrying a weapon. That sentence was to run concurrently to his 18 year to Life murder sentence (at the same time).

Brent was last heard by the parole Board in 2011. At that time, according to Ohio Parole Board Records, Brent denied killing his son. He also denied a drug possession offense he was found guilty of while in prison. In addition, the Ohio Parole Board Records state, “Brent showed no remorse, very little insight and no empathy toward his victim.”

No Parole

The first and most important step to rehabilitation is accepting responsibility for your actions. Robert Brent not only refuses to accept responsibility for his actions, he continues to deny killing his son, despite the fact multiple witnesses saw him commit the murder and the police found the murder weapon tucked in his belt. In addition, although Brent has spent 25 years in prison, he still has absolutely no remorse for killing his own 12-year-old son. Based on the brutal nature of Robert Brent’s offense, his complete lack of insight and remorse and the fact he killed an innocent 12-year-old child who was begging for his life, we believe to further the interests of justice and to protect society, Robert should serve his maximum sentence of LIFE in prison.