Charles Noel Brown was born on June 21, 1933, in the United States and grew up in a difficult household. According to family members, his upbringing was troubled, marked by an alcoholic father and financial hardship. Brown dropped out of school after the eighth grade to help support his family. As an adult, he struggled with alcohol dependency and committed forgery, which led to prison time before the deadly crime spree that would later define his life.

Thomas Calvin Kelley, his younger accomplice, had been diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager and briefly enlisted in the U.S. Marines before being discharged after a seizure. Both men met while working as parking lot attendants. They became drinking companions, and after Kelley committed a screwdriver-armed robbery, Brown used the stolen money to purchase two handguns, an act he would later admit was a reckless decision with no justifiable reason.

In February 1961, Brown and Kelley embarked on a five-day, three-state crime spree that would leave three people dead and three others wounded. The violence began on February 18 in Minnesota when they robbed a gas station and shot 17-year-old attendant James Peterson three times. Peterson survived but remained critically injured for over a month and lived with complications until his death in 2007.

Two days later, on February 20, the pair entered a Minneapolis tavern where they fatally shot 52-year-old Howard Trowbridge and seriously wounded bartender George Koch. Afterward, they traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, where they killed 60-year-old Harry Goldberg during a liquor store robbery. Kelley admitted he shot Goldberg after the victim failed to follow his instructions, while Brown claimed he shot to prevent witnesses from reporting them to police.

Moving into Iowa, they carjacked 54-year-old Alvin Koehrsen in Council Bluffs. After forcing him to drive several blocks, they shot him seven times and dumped him on the street. Koehrsen succumbed to his injuries two days later. When their stolen car stalled, they attempted another carjacking, shooting Kenneth Vencel three times, though he survived.

The two fugitives, joined by Brown’s girlfriend, Josephine Nesbit, attempted to flee by bus but were stopped at a police roadblock. During interrogations, Brown openly stated that he wanted to remain in Iowa to face execution, admitting, “I want to die for what I did. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in jail.”

Both men were tried separately for Koehrsen’s murder. Brown’s trial concluded with a swift conviction and a death sentence. Despite testimony about his troubled life and alcoholism, the jury recommended execution. Brown accepted his fate, saying, “I knew this was coming. I don’t care. The only thing I feel bad about is my folks.”

Kelley’s trial lasted longer, with arguments focusing on his epilepsy and youth. Although the first jury deadlocked, Kelley later pleaded guilty and received a death sentence from Judge Leroy H. Johnson. Both men’s appeals failed, and Governor Norman A. Erbe denied clemency.

On July 24, 1962, Charles Noel Brown was hanged at Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, the first execution in Iowa in a decade. As he walked to the gallows, he expressed hope for forgiveness, and his final words were “God forgive me.” Thomas Calvin Kelley was executed weeks later on September 6, 1962, becoming the second youngest and last person executed under Iowa law. Iowa abolished capital punishment in 1965, and Brown and Kelley’s executions remain historically significant as the last under state jurisdiction.