KILLEEN, Texas — Editor's Note: The video in this story is from shortly after Brown was removed from office.
Dr. Claudia Brown, 81, a former Bell County Justice of the Peace, died Tuesday morning, according to her obituary on the Chisholm's Family Funeral Home website.
Brown was elected as JP for Precinct 1 Place 4 in Nov. 2016. She was the first Black woman elected to that office in Bell County.
Former Killeen City Councilmember Gregory Johnson and Judge-Elect for Brown's seat, Gregory Johnson, posted his condolences on his Facebook page.
"She was a dedicated civic leader and community activist who fought the good fight and championed causes important to our community," the post said. "Dr. Brown was a pillar in our community that opened doors of opportunities for young public servants like myself that years ago we would’ve thought was impossible. She will be greatly missed, but her imprint on our community will last forever."
Brown was removed from office in Feb. 2019 after a trial during which a jury determined she was unfit for the office.
The trial was held after court petitions were filed over decisions she made from the bench, most notably a $4 billion bond she set for a Killeen murder suspect in 2017.
Brown said she was trying to highlight the need for bond reform. Opponents said it violated the suspect’s eighth amendment rights because it would have been impossible to pay.
Her obituary did not give her cause of death.