A Norfolk man has pleaded guilty to a series of deeply troubling crimes — including breaking into a pizza shop twice, sexually assaulting a child inside a church, and leaving two of his own children home alone, one of whom was injured. All three incidents happened in 2023 and early 2024, and were ultimately tied together by DNA evidence, video surveillance, and a police investigation that grew wider with each new arrest.
Trey Alonzo Brown, 26, admitted to multiple felonies and misdemeanors in a global plea agreement accepted by a Norfolk judge on September 29, 2025. He now faces up to 16 years in prison when sentenced early next year.
Burglaries at Benny Damato’s
Brown’s first known crime happened early on May 3, 2023, when he smashed the front door of Benny Damato’s pizza shop on Granby Street with a brick and stole $1,433 from the safe. Security footage caught the act, but Brown wasn’t identified at the time.
Then on November 21, he broke in again, stealing $142. This time, he left blood at the scene, and forensic testing confirmed his identity. Brown later confessed to both burglaries after his arrest in February 2024.
Assault at a Church
On November 5, 2023, Brown was volunteering at a local church when he lured a young girl into a closet and sexually assaulted her. The child immediately told her mother, who was also at the church, and police launched an investigation.
A forensic nurse exam later confirmed Brown’s DNA on the child. Though the case took months to develop, detectives were able to gather enough evidence to charge him with multiple felonies related to child sexual abuse.
Neglect of Two Infants
The case that finally led to Brown’s arrest came on February 17, 2024. That morning, he left his 2-month-old and 1-year-old children alone in a bedroom while he went to buy cigarettes. The infant was left unsecured on a bed.
When he returned two hours later, the baby was on the floor, crying, with bruises on their eye and leg. Brown didn’t call for help. Instead, he iced the bruises and waited for the children’s mother to get home before going to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters.
Hospital staff called Child Protective Services, who in turn notified Norfolk Police. That case opened the door for police to link Brown to the two burglaries and the earlier assault.
A Global Plea Deal
Following a period where Brown was found mentally incompetent to stand trial, he was later restored to competency and entered a guilty plea across all three cases.
His convictions include:
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Two counts of felony burglary and two counts of misdemeanor larceny (pizza parlor)
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Aggravated sexual battery, sodomy of a child under 13, abduction with intent to defile, and taking indecent liberties with a child (church)
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Two counts of felony child abuse (neglect of his own children)
The plea agreement also requires Brown to pay restitution to the pizza shop and sets a maximum active sentence of 16 years. Sentencing is scheduled for January 16, 2026 before Judge Joseph C. Lindsey.
Prosecutor: “The Law Caught Up With Him”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi acknowledged the gravity of the case, emphasizing both the danger posed by Brown and the role mental illness may have played:
“Mr. Brown committed a series of serious offenses and was able to avoid arrest for a time, but eventually the law caught up with him. While we may never know what triggered this string of crimes, it appears that mental illness played a role. Mr. Brown poses a threat to the community, especially to children, and we will seek a sentence for him that will protect the public from further harm.”