Aneka Brown faces murder charge in Harwich Stone Horse Apartment death

A grand jury indicted Aneka Brown on May 5 on charges of murder in the second degree and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, following a Nov. 7 incident in Harwich.

Brown, of Jamaica, was first arraigned Nov. 7 in Orleans District Court on charges of manslaughter and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At around 9:15 a.m. Nov. 7 Harwich police and fire were sent to the Stone Horse Apartments for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found 30-year-old Akeem Drysdale with a stab wound to the chest. Drysdale was taken to the Cape Cod Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

On Nov. 7, 2022, rescuers took a man with a stab wound from Stone Horse Apartments in Harwich to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. The man was pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Brown told investigators the incident stemmed from unwanted and persistent sexual advances. In Orleans District Court, she was ordered to be held without bail for 120 days, but eventually was released after posting $2,500 in bail and wearing a GPS bracelet.

Brown’s attorney questioned the charge of murder in the second degree.

The May 5 indictment on a charge of murder in the second degree came as a surprise to Brown’s defense attorney, Brian Kelley. He said in a phone interview with the Times that he knew of no new evidence that would have supported a change from the manslaughter charge brought forward in district court.

On May 8, Brown appeared in Barnstable Superior Court for a dangerousness hearing. Prosecutors moved to hold her, Kelley said. At that point an immigration detainer was issued. She was scheduled for an arraignment on May 9, but it carried over until May 10.

At the May 10 arraignment, a Massachusetts state trooper testified but offered no evidence that the stabbing was intentional, Kelley said.

“I asked him that question, whether or not there was any evidence in the case inconsistent with the accidental stabbing and he said no,” Kelley said. “To my knowledge there’s no evidence to the contrary. How do you get to murder?”

Kelley said Brown was in an abusive relationship.

Cape and Islands Second Assistant District Attorney Russ Eonas declined to comment on the details of a pending case.

Deportation possible, said defense attorney Brian Kelley.

Kelley said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was in the courtroom during the May 9-10 arraignment and issued an immigration detainer for Brown. Kelley said it was his understanding that Brown could be deported, but that it probably wouldn’t happen while she was in state custody. He added that Brown was a seasonal worker on the Cape and had a work visa.