Crime

New records show how police tracked down the alleged Beverly mansion robber

The suspect's ex-girlfriend worked as a maid at the historic Beverly mansion, police found. They are still searching for a second, unidentified suspect.

This historic mansion on Paine Avenue in Beverly was robbed by masked thieves. Danielle Parhizkaran / The Boston Globe

By Ross Cristantiello

April 16, 2026 | 1:24 PM

4 minutes to read

Last month, officials said an armed intruder broke into a historic Beverly mansion, tied up a housekeeper, and made off in a stolen Porsche with unspecified valuables. Police arrested 25-year-old Emajae Brown earlier this week in connection with the robbery.

Now, new details are emerging about the crime and the subsequent investigation, including information about an unidentified second suspect and alleged connections between Brown’s former girlfriend and the mansion.

Brown, a Lynn resident, was arraigned in Salem District Court on Tuesday. He was charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over age 60, kidnapping, witness intimidation, armed assault in a dwelling, armed burglary, breaking and entering in a building at night, larceny of a motor vehicle, and larceny over $1,200. Brown pleaded not guilty on the charges and was ordered held without bail. He is scheduled to return to court on April 21 for a dangerousness hearing.

Brown was allegedly found with more than $300,000 in cash and gold taken from the home when he was arrested, according to footage of the arraignment from WCVB.

Emajae Brown was arraigned Tuesday in Salem District Court. *– WCVB-TV*

On the day of the robbery, March 28, investigators quickly determined that two masked people entered the mansion through an unlocked side door just after 2 a.m. that morning. They found that multiple locked doors inside had been forced open with blunt objects. A large amount of gold, silver, high-value watches, collectibles, and cash was taken from the home, State Police trooper Michael Lyons wrote in a probable cause affidavit.

The unidentified suspect appears to have left the home sometime in the early morning hours while Brown allegedly remained at the scene. He was dressed in all black, wearing purple latex gloves and “distinctive” Jordan branded shoes, authorities said. At about 5:30 a.m., Brown allegedly encountered a housekeeper, escorted her to a porch and threw her phone into the ocean. He moved her around the home, pointing a gun at her head and telling her to place valuable items into trash bags, garment bags, and luggage, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly demanded that she locate bottles of bleach and keys for a blue Porsche Cayenne. She reported being struck over the head with a gun, tied up in the garage, and left with a bag over her head. Brown fled the home just after 7:30 a.m., and the housekeeper later managed to reach a neighbor and call 911, Lyons wrote.

Investigators used license plate readers powered by the company Flock to determine that the Porsche entered Lynn later that morning. It was found abandoned in a cemetery on Lynnfield Street. Police determined that bleach had been poured over the vehicle’s interior and door handles. Car keys and an empty bottle of bleach were found in woods nearby, according to the affidavit.

Police identified a suspect through surveillance footage captured by Ring doorbell cameras near the cemetery. They focused on a pair of “distinctive grey sandals” he wore, Lyons wrote.

A “housing manager” at the mansion was interviewed about who had access to the house. Investigators determined that the manager had seen the suspect drop off a maid for work at the home previously. That maid worked a shift at the residence from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the day before the robbery. Investigators identified Brown as the suspect in part by reviewing materials connected to an incident that occurred at the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett last November, Lyons wrote.

Records from Malden District Court indicate that Brown was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a family/household member and cocaine trafficking after the incident at Encore. He pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.

During the booking process after the Encore incident, Brown wore gray sandals similar to the ones seen on the suspect in the surveillance footage from near the cemetery, according to the affidavit.

Investigators obtained access to Brown’s cellphone records and found that he called his ex-girlfriend, the maid, on March 30. They interviewed her a week later, and she said that occasionally her ex-boyfriend would give her a ride to work. She identified the ex-boyfriend as Brown. She said that he had been in rehab but was not sure of the facility’s name or location. She confirmed that she worked the day shift at the mansion on March 27 and that she is aware of when the homeowners are away because that is when staff are directed to polish the floors. They polished the floors on March 27, she said, according to the affidavit.

In the weeks that followed the robbery, police tracked Brown’s movements to hotels and a car rental facility. He made two trips to New York City during this time, Lyons wrote. Prosecutors said during Brown’s arraignment that they have surveillance footage of him walking up to a jewelry dealer in New York City with a “rolling bag” and making an “exchange.”

At one point, Brown approached an undercover State Police trooper who was conducting surveillance of Brown’s home in Lynn. He told the trooper to move his vehicle, which the trooper did, according to the affidavit.

Later, police searched a hotel room that Brown had been staying in. They found a black face mask and a cellphone bill indicating that Brown was using a prepaid phone while having his main phone turned off, Lyons wrote.

Police gathered information during the course of their investigation “regarding the sale and trading of gold coins and luxury jewelry,” he wrote.