Kyle Braun: Brownsburg Stabbing Charges and Guilty Verdict

The Kyle Braun Brownsburg stabbing case involves a 30-year-old Indiana man accused of stabbing his mother, Susan Cutler Early, nine times at her home in April 2023, leaving a kitchen knife embedded in her skull. Early survived. Braun was charged with attempted murder and, as of October 2025, was being held in a secure mental health facility while the case remained unresolved.¹

What Happened on April 24, 2023

At about 12:25 p.m., Brownsburg police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Midnight Pass in the Summer Ridge subdivision after reports of a stabbing. Officers found 59-year-old Susan Early in her front yard, tended by neighbors, with multiple stab wounds and a large kitchen knife still protruding from her head.²

Early told officers her son Kyle Braun had attacked her in the kitchen. According to later reporting, the confrontation began when she told him he needed to leave her home. He punched her in the eye and then stabbed her nine times: four times in the abdomen, four times in the face, and once in the head. The knife lodged in her skull could not be removed until after her first emergency surgery. She was transported to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition.¹³

Braun fled on foot. Neighbors pointed officers in his direction, and he was apprehended nearby without incident and taken to a hospital for superficial wounds to his hand. Police said the motive was unclear.²⁴

The Charges Braun Faces

Braun was initially charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of battery by bodily waste on a public safety officer. The battery charges came from his behavior at the hospital, where Brownsburg Police Captain Jennifer Barrett said he became combative and spat at two officers. He was booked into the Hendricks County Jail with no bond.²⁴

Captain Barrett said Braun did not live with his mother and was believed to be homeless. He was reportedly struggling with mental illness at the time. An additional invasion of privacy charge was later added to his pending cases; details of that charge have not been publicly reported.¹⁵

Assault on His Public Defender

On August 28, 2024, while awaiting resolution of the attempted murder case, Braun attacked his public defender, Scott Knierim, during a meeting in an interview room at the Hendricks County Jail. A probable cause affidavit said that three minutes into the meeting, Braun leaned forward, shoved the desk toward Knierim, and punched him at least four times in the face, head, and arm. A sheriff’s deputy posted outside the door intervened to stop the assault. Knierim was treated in the jail’s medical unit for injuries to his face, head, and shoulder. Braun was charged with battery causing bodily injury.⁵

Susan Early’s Survival and Advocacy

Early’s physical recovery took several months. The punch to her eye impaired her vision during the attack, and the nine stab wounds required extensive treatment starting with the emergency surgery to remove the knife from her skull. In November 2024, she co-authored a memoir, When I Saw God’s Hand, recounting the attack, her near-death experience, and what she describes as moments of divine protection during recovery. She has said she wrote the book to promote “awareness and grace—for victims, families, and those living with mental illness.”¹

Where the Case Stands

As of October 2025, Kyle Braun was residing in a secure mental health facility, and the attempted murder case and related charges remained ongoing. Early told a reporter that “a lot of people are asking for a follow-up with what happens trial-wise,” but said her focus for the time being was on her book and her advocacy work.¹

1
Current Publishing. Brownsburg Woman Survives Brutal Attack by Son, Writes Book on Healing and Forgiveness
2
WISH-TV. Police: Man Faces Attempted Murder Charge After Stabbing Mother
3
WRTV. Woman Found With Knife in Head After Being Stabbed by Son in Brownsburg
4
Kansas City Star. Man Faces Attempted Murder Charge After Stabbing Mother in Indiana
5
WRTV. Court Docs: Public Defender Injured After Inmate Assault at Hendricks County Jail