Brailen Weaver faces two capital murder counts in the April 30 deaths of two U.S. Bank employees in Berea.
BEREA, Ky. — Kentucky prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against a 19-year-old man accused of killing two employees during an attempted robbery at a U.S. Bank branch in Berea, Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office announced Wednesday.
A Madison County grand jury indicted Brailen Weaver on two counts of murder as capital offenses and one count of first-degree fleeing or evading police, a Class C felony. The indictment opens a state prosecution that is separate from a federal case arising from the same April 30 shooting and attempted robbery.
Weaver is accused of entering the bank shortly before 2 p.m. and fatally shooting employees Breanna Edwards, 35, and Brian Switzer, 42. A federal complaint alleges that the gunman then searched several drawers before leaving the Chestnut Street branch. Authorities have not publicly established whether money was taken.
An indictment is a formal accusation and does not establish guilt. Weaver is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Coleman’s announcement means the state may ask a jury to impose a death sentence if Weaver is convicted of a capital offense.
The state charges add another layer to a case that was already eligible for a possible federal death sentence. A federal grand jury indicted Weaver in May on one count of attempted armed bank robbery resulting in death and two counts of causing death with a firearm during a crime of violence. Federal prosecutors said the grand jury also returned special findings that could support capital punishment.
State and federal authorities have described the prosecutions as separate. The federal trial has been delayed without a new date, according to reports on the case. No state trial date was included in the attorney general’s announcement.
Investigators identified Weaver as a suspect after reviewing surveillance footage, social media activity and information about a silver BMW connected to him, according to a federal affidavit. Authorities located the car on Interstate 75 later that evening, leading to a pursuit into Lexington.
The affidavit alleges that the BMW reached speeds above 100 mph on the interstate and exceeded 130 mph after leaving the highway. The car eventually crashed, and Weaver was taken into custody after fleeing on foot, authorities said. The state fleeing charge stems from that pursuit.
Weaver, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, has been held in custody since early May. The cases will proceed independently through the state and federal court systems, and prosecutors have not announced which prosecution is expected to go to trial first.
Author note: Last updated July 16, 2026.