'Know someone selling a pistol?' Woman avoids trial in NYE 2017 fatal shooting of her 'on and off' boyfriend

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee woman accused in the shooting death of her "on and off" boyfriend, which happened on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 2017, has reached a plea deal in the case against her.

Ann Bellamy, 44, on Monday, Feb. 18 pleaded guilty to one count of first degree reckless homicide. She will be sentenced on April 5.

The fatal shooting happened at Elandis Johnson's home near 40th and Sheridan. Police were called around 10 p.m. Johnson was found lying behind the front door -- suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his right eye. He was pronounced dead at the scene, and his death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.

A criminal complaint said investigators spoke with Johnson's brother, and showed him a picture of Bellamy -- an individual the brother identified as someone Johnson had been with "on and off" for 18 years -- the mother of his child. The brother said in December of 2017, Bellamy "barricaded herself in a room at his brother's house -- jealous of what his brother had going on with his new girlfriend." He said items were damaged in the home during this incident, but it wasn't believed that any windows were broken.

The current girlfriend of Johnson was interviewed by investigators, and the complaint said she indicated she'd been dating Johnson for less than three months, and she was at his home at 40th and Sheridan on the night of Dec. 30, 2017, through the morning of Dec. 31. She said they spent the day together on Dec. 31, and had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings at Bayshore Town Center that night. During dinner, she said Johnson made several calls which she believed were related to marijuana, as she was aware he sold it. When they returned to Johnson's home about an hour before the call for the shooting came in, Johnson's son and his girlfriend were outside in a vehicle, and it was believed they were there for marijuana. The girlfriend said she left briefly to get ready because she and Johnson planned to go out for New Year's Eve, and she told Johnson to leave the front door open for her. She said when she arrived at Johnson's home and went inside, she found him lying on his back in the living room, near the front door. She didn't find a pulse, and immediately dialed 911.

She told investigators she found his phone on the ground next to him, and called Bellamy, the mother of his child, after calling 911.

Investigators found Bellamy at Johnson's mother's house. The complaint said she indicated she worked until 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve 2017 at a group home, and she injured her foot that day -- after finding out Johnson had been shot. She said she twisted her ankle while running from work.

According to the complaint, during an interview with Johnson and Bellamy's son, he was shown a picture of an Adidas tennis shoe found in the home after the shooting, and indicated his father had purchased the shoes for his mother. A coworker at the group home where Bellamy worked said on the night of the shooting, Bellamy was wearing black shoes similar to the Adidas tennis shoes.

Surveillance video showed as of 9:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve 2017, Bellamy's vehicle was no longer parked outside of her workplace.

During a follow-up interview, the complaint said Bellamy indicated she stayed at the group home until 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve, cleaning up after a party. She said she spoke with Johnson at around 9 p.m. and he told her he was going to come see her before he went out for the evening. She said she called again around 10:05 p.m. and Johnson's girlfriend answered and said he'd been shot. She said she ran out of work, twisting her ankle -- and drove by Johnson's home. She said she "didn't want a commotion" with Johnson's girlfriend and after seeing the police tape at Johnson's home, she "drove hours on the highway to clear her head." During a separate interview, Johnson said she was at work until 9 p.m. and she hurt her ankle at home.

Investigators were able to take a look at text messages from Bellamy's phone, which involved a conversation about purchasing a gun -- including an outgoing message reading: "I went to the bank. Do you know someone selling a pistol? Just need to take care of something." One person responded and said: "What's going on u need to calm down," and a message from Bellamy's phone read: "I will when I handle my business."