Kevan Brumfield was born on January 7, 1973. He grew up in Louisiana. Kevan had a learning disability, which made it hard for him to keep up in school. His academic struggles led to him being placed in special education classes.

In school, Kevan had a low IQ score of 75. This score is considered below average. As a result, he had a reading level equivalent to that of a fourth grader. His difficulties in learning affected his everyday life and opportunities. As a child, Kevan was treated at psychiatric hospitals. These treatments were meant to help him with his mental health issues. 

On January 7, 1993, Kevan Brumfield and his accomplice, Henri Broadway, committed a serious crime. They shot and killed Baton Rouge police officer Betty Smothers. At the time, Officer Smothers was off-duty and was escorting the manager of a grocery store to the bank. This tragic event resulted in Officer Smothers' death. She was also the mother of Warrick Dunn, an NFL running back who played for teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons.

After the crime, Brumfield was arrested and faced trial. The court sentenced him to death based on his role in Officer Smothers’ murder. He was the one who fired the shots that killed her, while Broadway was responsible for wounding the grocery store manager during the same incident.

Legal battles continued for Brumfield after his sentencing. The lower courts denied his request for an Atkins hearing, which is a legal procedure that allows someone to prove they are intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for the death penalty. However, the case reached the United States Supreme Court. In a close decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Brumfield deserved a fair hearing regarding his mental abilities. They found that the state court had not considered important information about his mental capacity.

On July 20, 2016, Brumfield was resentenced to life in prison following a determination that he was intellectually disabled. This ruling meant he could no longer be executed. Henri Broadway remains on death row for his involvement in the crime. Another person connected to the case, West Paul, who acted as the getaway driver, received a twenty-five-year sentence but later returned to jail due to other charges.