In the months before she took her own life, Brandy Britton, the former assistant professor charged with prostitution, underwent tremendous scrutiny from the media and Howard County police and prosecutors.
Her arrest generated hundreds of documents in an internal Howard County police investigative file and even more media reports.
But what about the men who visited Britton? The alleged “police, lawyers and judges” mentioned in Howard County police?s file? Who were they?
Responding to a public information act request from The Examiner, the Howard County Police Department turned over 186 pages of detectives? investigative file into Britton?s alleged criminal activities, including client and appointment lists dating from Nov. 16, 2005 until Jan. 8, 2006.
Only she knew who they were
Although Britton said her clients included Howard County luminaries, her notes and lists of client names don?t appear to include the names of any Howard County politicians, judges or prominent attorneys.
The appointment lists, which amount to Britton?s typed and hand-written notes of phone messages, contain many partial names and code names, including notes for appointments with men with simply first names, such as “Robert,” “Bernard” and “David.”
She used some purportedly full names and other completely fictional handles, such as one man who referred to himself as a “King.”
Britton received up to 18 calls some days seeking her services. Next to their names, she sometimes wrote the caller?s purported occupations, such as “Dr.” or “Accountant.” Sometimes she simply wrote what she thought of the caller: “Jerk,” one note states.
The information was apparently specific enough for Britton to keep her appointments straight, but vague enough to protect the men?s true identities without lengthy police investigations.
Britton?s final months filled with hardship
Britton committed suicide in January, only days before she was scheduled to be evicted from her nearly $600,000 Ellicott City home and stand trail on four criminal counts of prostitution.
She faced up to a year in jail on each count, but Howard County prosecutors said, if convicted, she likely wouldn?t have served any time.
A former assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Britton resigned in 1999.
Police said in 2006 that Britton had turned to prostitution.
Britton operated a Web site called Alexisangel.com that stated Britton charged a minimum of $300 an hour for modeling and providing companionship, police said.
In her last interview, Britton denied she was anything more than a high-end escort who customers paid for companionship that would not necessarily lead to sex.
“I thought I would hate the job, and I?d just have to do it,” she said. “But I really liked it and I made some really good friends, and I like men more than I ever did before. It?s a long story, but as a feminist it made me see things differently. They love their families and their kids. They?re good guys that really love their wives.”
