Milwaukee men linked to 3 homicides, police say
Suspects already in state prison for other crimes
Prosecutors say a Milwaukee robbery crew targeted suspected drug dealers for theft, killing two of them, before killing one of their own to prevent him from talking to police.
The recently filed case encapsulates violent crime trends in the city: heroin sales, rolling drug houses, police chases and witness intimidation.
The three men charged last weekend already are in custody in the state prison system on other cases.
The criminal complaints outline the allegations against each of the men:
Akeam Williams, 22, is charged with felony murder in the death of Demetrius Baker, known as “Meechie,” on Dec. 3, 2015.
Williams, Herman Highshaw, 34, and Shundale Joshua, 29, are charged with felony murder in the death of Landray Harris on May 15, 2016.
Highshaw also is charged with first-degree reckless homicide and mutilating a corpse in the death of Demarion Allen, who police say was part of the suspects’ robbery crew and had driven to the Harris homicide.
Highshaw is accused of shooting Allen in the head, then burning his body in a recycling cart, because he believed Allen was at risk of cooperating with police, according to prosecutors.
Investigators used witness statements, confidential informants, ballistics and other evidence to put together the case, which dates back two years to the fatal shooting of Baker.
An ambush
According to court records:
On Dec. 3, 2015, Milwaukee police arrived at the scene of a shooting on N. 6th St., just north of Meinecke Ave., and they found Baker in the middle of the road.
A witness who heard the gunshots had placed two garbage carts around Baker so he would not be run over by a car.
Police were able to determine Baker had been in a silver Mercedes SUV
driven by Terry Williams. Terry Williams died this June in a shooting involving a Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy at Milwaukee’s lakefront.
A black Cadillac was parked in front of the Mercedes SUV with two people inside who knew Baker and Williams.
Milwaukee police believe the four men operated a “mobile drug house“using the vehicles to respond to calls from customers who wanted to buy drugs.
Williams told police he was sleeping when he woke up to someone yanking at the car door. The person opened the door, beat him over the head with a gun and pulled him out of the car. Williams ran for help.
Gunfire erupted. The black Cadillac took off and crashed on the city’s east side on the way to a hospital. The driver and passenger were seriously wounded.
Baker was pulled out of the Mercedes SUV and left in the street. The SUV was stolen and police found it later that day in the city.
An informant later told detectives about an overheard conversation in which Akeam Williams, Joshua and Allen discussed the killing. Joshua said they had caught the targets “slipping” and decided to ambush and rob them. The men stole Baker’s designer glasses, coat and 30 grams of heroin.
The informant also said the crew found Baker’s four cellphones inside the SUV.
Cellphone numbers are the lifeline of the heroin trade in Milwaukee, keeping the flow of drugs and money moving.
A ‘sweet’ robbery
Just after noon on May 15, 2016, Milwaukee police were called to another shooting, this one on N. Richards St. near W. Hadley St.
Harris was wounded and had run toward a store on Center St. He died from his injuries.
Two other people were wounded in the shooting.
According to the criminal complaint: An informant told police Akeam Williams, Joshua, Allen and Highshaw had seen Harris a few days before. Highshaw remarked Harris was “sweet,” slang for someone who sells drugs and carries a large amount of cash.
On the day of the homicide, the crew ambushed Harris while he was in a burgundy car.
Joshua yanked open the door and Williams, armed with a 9mm gun, yelled at those inside before opening fire. The burgundy car backed up, hitting a tree and took off.
A witness described the shooter’s vehicle to be a silver car with a partial license plate. Security video in the area showed a silver four-door Acura. Police entered the information into a database and found a matching car that was registered to a relative of Allen.
Police dispatch records showed a Milwaukee officer had run the plate at 1:11 p.m. May 15 — about an hour after the homicide.
The officer said he saw the car speeding and attempted a U-turn to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle eluded him and he did not chase after it.
The same afternoon, the crew robbed another man, jumping in his car and ordering him at gunpoint to “take them to the money.” The man went to his apartment and gave them about $5,000.
Getting rid of a witness
Less than two weeks after the homicide of Harris, Milwaukee firefighters got a report of a fire on W. Appleton Ave.
One caller said it looked like a mannequin was on fire. Instead, firefighters found a real body, later identified as Allen through dental records.
The medical examiner’s office determined he had died of a gunshot wound to the head before his body was stuffed in a recycling cart and burned.
According to the criminal complaint, another informant told police Highshaw was responsible.
Milwaukee police had linked the car in the Harris homicide to Allen. Highshaw was worried Allen would cooperate if he was caught, the informant said.
Highshaw called Allen to come over to his house, took him to the basement and shot him. Highshaw and another man went to Family Dollar to buy yellow gloves, bleach, a mop and towels, the informant said.
The store’s security footage confirmed the account.
Highshaw moved out of his house on N. 53rd St. two days after Allen’s burned body was discovered.
When police searched the house, they found a mop and plastic bucket in the basement.
The washer and dryer were gone — and so was a blue recycling cart.