Girl’s killer headed to prison for life
Chapman fatally shot 1-year-old Milwaukee girl
The man who fatally shot a 1-year-old Milwaukee girl is going to die in prison.
Davon Chapman, 28, of Milwaukee showed little emotion Friday as Circuit Judge Ellen R. Brostrom sentenced him to serve life in prison in the slaying last summer of Zy’Aire Nevels.
A Milwaukee County jury on Feb. 1 found Chapman guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, in the child’s death. Jurors also convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In court Friday, Zy’Aire’s grieving parents pleaded for Chapman to get the harshest sentence.
“The way I see it, you tried to kill me that day. In a way, you did,” the child’s father, De’aire Nevels, said, directing his comments to Chapman, seated just a few feet away. “You took away my most-prized possession – my twin.
“You took my baby.” Chapman is the husband of the best friend of Zy’Aire’s mother. A criminal complaint in the case says Zy’Aire’s mother and Chapman “had been talking,” and, at some point, Chapman wanted to fight De’aire Nevels.
Prosecutors say Chapman followed Zy’Aire’s parents in his SUV on June 3 when he fired shots at the car in which Zy’Aire was a passenger. The shooting took place near the 1900 block of Atkinson Avenue, near the Milwaukee Public
Library Atkinson Branch.
Authorities believe Chapman intended to shoot De’aire Nevels, but was unaware Zy’aire was in the vehicle.
Zhane Brown-Nevels mourned the loss of her daughter, saying her “world has been upside-down” since the shooting. She and her husband have moved out of the neighborhood. The couple, along with their two other children, are in therapy, trying to find ways to cope with the grief, she said.
One coping mechanism has been a Baby Shark plush toy. It recorded a 2second clip of Zy’Aire’s voice saying “Hi, Mama!” Brown-Nevels said she clicks it often, just for a feeling of closeness to her daughter.
“There were times I wanted to give up on life itself,” she said through tears. “I still can’t believe she’s gone. My baby should be here with me.”
Brostrom also sentenced Chapman to 10 years on the gun-possession charge. Chapman did not give a statement. However, in the days since his conviction, Chapman has petitioned for a new trial, arguing witness tampering and that he wasn’t able to view items in discovery that could have potentially helped his case.
In a Feb. 6 letter, Chapman wrote “exculpatory evidence” existed that should have been used in his defense, but wasn’t. Among the items was another person’s identification card that he says was found in his vehicle at the time of the incident.
At trial, Chapman claimed another person drove his vehicle and opened fire on the car in which Zy’Aire was riding.
“I’m just being blamed for the crime due to the family knowing me personally, which is unfair to me,” Chapman said.
He has 20 days to appeal his sentence.