Grapevine Police make arrest in 1981 cold case investigation

GRAPEVINE, Texas - A 79-year-old man has been arrested after Grapevine Police had a breakthrough in a 45-year-old homicide cold case.

Grapevine cold case arrest

79-year-old Larry Brown was arrested by Grapevine Police on Thursday in connection to a 1981 cold case homicide.

Court records show Brown has been charged with murder, and that he was arrested in Colorado in Larimer County.

Police said the arrest of Brown comes after "extensive investigation by detectives and represents a significant development in the case."

Brown was extradited back to Texas and is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on a $2 million bond.

Dig deeper:

Brown was arrested in connection with the murder of 35-year-old Beverly Bruneau, a Braniff Airlines flight attendant who was found dead in an apartment on Feb. 13, 1981.

An arrest affidavit states Bruneau had been strangled to death after a struggle. A brown electrical cord was found near Bruneau's body. A DNA sample taken in 2010 found blood other than Bruneau's on her nightgown, but no matches were found.

Detectives interviewed Brown, who was married to Bruneau's best friend Thelma Brown, the day of Bruneau's murder. Officials noticed Brown had a wound on his right thumb during the interview, which he stated came from work.

The affidavit states that in 2025, investigators began looking into the case and found Bruneau and Thelma Brown owned a Dallas residence that both would make payments for, even after one married or left the residence.

Thelma married Larry Brown, who had worked as a Braniff Airlines pilot, and left the residence. Brown pressured Bruneau to find a different roommate to pay Thelma's rent, as the Browns were struggling financially after purchasing a house in Grapevine. Bruneau refused the requests.

Two fires broke out at the residence in Nov. 1980, causing significant damage to the property. Investigators think the fires may have been caused by arson.

The affidavit states Brown attempted to coerce Bruneau into insurance fraud; Brown proposed inflating insurance costs, then having a company he co-owned repair the house and splitting the remaining funds as profit.

Bruneau told her mother three days before her murder that she and Brown got into a heated argument over the insurance claim, and was scared of Brown based on how he was acting.

Brown had initially been cooperative with investigators, but later refused questions about his involvement.

In Feb. 2026, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office in Colorado, where Brown was then living, obtained a covert DNA sample from Brown's trash.

A DNA test from Brown's trash matched the DNA from Bruneau's nightgown from the night of her murder.

"She was robbed of her life"

What they're saying:

"I don't feel like it ever heals. It's like a scab."

Carol Bruneau-Malson, the victim's sister, says news of Brown's arrest 45 years after the crime is bittersweet.

"It was bittersweet. I was overjoyed, as was my family when I let them know," Bruneau-Malson tells FOX 4's Casey Stegall. "I’ve been waiting for it for 45 years."

Bruneau-Malson wants her sister to be remembered as someone full of life.

"She was such a loving, fun person. I want them to know that she had a lot of hopes and dreams for her life," Bruneau-Malson said. "It's been longer since she died than she lived."

"The Grapevine Police Department is committed to pursuing justice for victims, regardless of how much time has 
passed, and appreciates the patience of the community and the media as investigators continue their work," Grapevine PD said in a statement.

What's next:

The department confirmed additional DNA analysis and forensic testing is pending.

GrapevineCrime and Public Safety