Joshua Daniel Brown faces a second-degree murder charge in the April 2025 death of Renelle Bernard Lubin.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL — A Palm Beach Gardens man has been arrested more than a year after a fatal shooting in West Palm Beach, where police said a 31-year-old man was found shot in a parking lot.
Joshua Daniel Brown, 31, faces charges of second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon in the death of Renelle Bernard Lubin, 31. Brown appeared in first appearance court Sunday, where a Palm Beach County judge ordered him held without bond on the murder charge and set bond at $100,000 on the weapons charge. The judge also ordered Brown to have no contact with Lubin’s next of kin.
The case began April 2, 2025, when West Palm Beach police responded to the rear parking lot of 1100 Henrietta Ave. after a 911 call and a ShotSpotter alert reported gunfire. Officers arrived about 8:56 p.m. and found Lubin near Apartment 4 with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers tried lifesaving measures until West Palm Beach Fire Rescue paramedics arrived. Lubin was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:05 p.m. The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators said surveillance footage, cellphone records, license plate reader data and witness statements led detectives to Brown. A witness told detectives he heard a gunshot and saw a white man carrying a “rifle-style firearm” enter a dark-colored vehicle immediately afterward. Detectives later identified a white Jeep Compass with a black roof that they said was seen leaving the area after the shooting. The vehicle was traced to a Palm Beach Gardens address linked to Brown. Police also said phone records showed Brown had communicated with Lubin by phone minutes before the shooting and that cellphone location data placed Brown near the scene at the time.
The investigation continued into the next day, when officers went to the Palm Beach Gardens address tied to the Jeep Compass. Brown’s mother told officers he was on his way to the home, according to investigators. Officers from West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens waited until Brown arrived, then surrounded the residence after he entered with his mother. During a search, investigators said they found Brown’s cellphone. Police said the phone had been used to call Lubin and that related data placed it near Henrietta Avenue when the shooting occurred.
Court records show prosecutors first pursued a first-degree premeditated murder charge in December 2025. That charge was later dropped in February 2026. Prosecutors then filed a second-degree murder with a firearm charge and obtained a new warrant. Brown remained at large until the weekend arrest. The case now moves forward under the second-degree murder count, which accuses Brown of unlawfully killing Lubin with a firearm but does not require prosecutors to prove premeditation. The firearm possession charge is tied to Brown’s status as a convicted felon.
Records cited by local reports show Brown previously served time in state prison after pleading guilty to false reports of a crime, grand theft and fraudulent use of fictitious personal identification information. He was sentenced to five years in state prison and was released in November 2024. Brown also had been charged in a separate 2015 West Palm Beach homicide case involving the deaths of Sean Pollum, 20, and Brian Tanksley, 33, but prosecutors decided in November 2016 not to pursue those charges. The dropped charges in that earlier case are separate from the current prosecution in Lubin’s death.
The Henrietta Avenue shooting left detectives working for months through electronic records and surveillance material. Investigators cited SunPass data, iCloud evidence and video showing clothing they said matched what Brown wore the night Lubin was killed. Authorities have not publicly described a motive. They also have not said whether the firearm used in the shooting was recovered. The affidavit describes evidence tying Brown to the area before and after the gunfire, but the case remains at the pretrial stage and Brown has not been convicted in Lubin’s killing.
Brown remained in custody after his Sunday court appearance. The next steps are expected to include arraignment proceedings, evidence review and further hearings in Palm Beach County court. As of Monday, the active charges are second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Author note: Last updated May 18, 2026.