Death of D'Vontaye Mitchell: Men accused of murder confess

Article

Todd Erickson; Brandon Turner; Devin Johnson Carson; Herbert Williamson

MILWAUKEE – Three of the four men charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killing of D'Vontaye Mitchell outside a Milwaukee hotel in June 2018 pleaded not guilty on Thursday, August 22.

Todd Erickson, Daniel Johnson-Carson and Herbert Williamson were arraigned on Thursday. All three are scheduled to appear in court on Monday. Brandon Turner is due to appear in court later on Thursday.

All four men are charged with the same count – premeditated murder – and face up to 15 years and nine months in prison if convicted.

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Erickson and Turner worked as security guards at the Hyatt Regency, while Johnson-Carson worked at the front desk and Williamson worked as a bellman. Aimbridge Hospitality, the company that operates the hotel, laid off the four employees in July.

Case details

Mitchell died on June 30. According to a criminal complaint, surveillance and bystander videos showed Mitchell running into the lobby of the downtown hotel and entering a women's restroom that afternoon. Two women later told investigators that Mitchell tried to lock them in the restroom.

Turner and a hotel guest dragged Mitchell out of the building and into the hotel's driveway, the complaint states. Turner, Erickson, Williamson and Johnson-Carson held Mitchell for eight to nine minutes while Mitchell begged them to stop and complained that he couldn't breathe.

Williamson told investigators that he pressed his knee into Mitchell's back. He added that Mitchell was strong, would not calm down and tried to bite Erickson.

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Turner told investigators he believed Mitchell was under the influence of drugs, Erickson told them he did nothing to intentionally hurt or kill Mitchell, and Johnson-Carson told them none of the hotel employees believed Mitchell had stopped breathing, the indictment says. Johnson-Carson added that at one point he told Williamson to stop squeezing, and Williamson stopped.

When police and emergency responders arrived, Mitchell was no longer moving, the complaint states.

The Milwaukee County Coroner's Office found that Mitchell was morbidly obese, suffered from heart disease and had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system, according to the lawsuit.

After viewing video of the incident, medical examiner Lauren Decker concluded that Mitchell suffered “asphyxia” because the workers restrained his legs, arms, back and head. Essentially, they prevented Mitchell from breathing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.