Desean Brasser was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Charles Starzynski after shooting a firearm during a robbery in Sacramento.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man was convicted of first-degree murder in connection to a 2022 armed robbery case, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.
Desean Brasser was found guilty by a jury for the murder of Charles Starzynski after an armed robbery in midtown. Starzynski was holding a blue bank bag after making a transaction at a local ATM. Brasser was also nearby in another vehicle. Brasser and Tajenae Cooper, who was driving the vehicle, followed Starzynski from the ATM into an alleyway behind Sutter Lawn Tennis Club.
When Starzynski got out to open the trunk, Brasser yelled “give me the bag” before taking belongings from the victim’s trunk and shooting the victim in the head, according to prosecutors. Officials said Brasser then fled with Cooper in their vehicle.
Sacramento Police Department and SWAT found the suspect vehicle outside an apartment complex, where Brasser and Cooper were arrested.
Starzynski was a long-time figure in the city’s journalism ranks, working at Capitol Public Radio News as a former program director. He resigned in the early ’90s over a contract dispute, according to court records.
Cooper previously pled to robbery and faces a sentencing on May 29, 2026. Brasser’s maximum sentence is life in prison without parole. He will be officially sentenced on April 10, 2026.
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