2022 Brown Deer homicides; 2nd man now charged in brothers' deaths

BROWN DEER, Wis. - With one man already serving consecutive life sentences, Milwaukee County prosecutors have now charged a second man in the 2022 homicides of two brothers in Brown Deer. 

Court cases

What we know:

Prosecutors charged 20-year-old Tamirat Mills on Monday with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of taking and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent. 

Last July, Joseph Tucker was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for the killings. He was found guilty at trial of the same three felony counts Mills now faces.

Tamirat Mills

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The shooting

The backstory:

Brown Deer police responded to the area of 62nd and Tower on Sept. 1, 2022. Brothers Amarion Brown and Charlus Robinson were shot at their home.

According to court filings, the victims' mother told police that they all lived together at the home. She said she heard a "pop" around 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and said she later awoke to find her Jeep SUV was missing. She said Brown had a "friend" over the night before – "Austin," though she knew his real name was "Joe" – and she last saw Robinson alive with that same friend. Police ultimately identified the friend as Tucker. 

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Brown Deer homicides; Joseph Tucker sentenced, life in prison

A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Joseph Tucker on Wednesday, July 24 to two consecutive life in prison terms for killing two people in 2022.

Prosecutors said there were no signs of forced entry at the home. There were tire marks alongside the neighbor's property that were "consistent" with the missing Jeep having driven around other vehicles that were parked in the driveway to leave.

Investigation into Mills

What we know:

Court filings said Tucker and Mills, among others, were arrested in February 2023. Tucker was charged in the days that followed.

Prosecutors said a "confidential informant" provided information to police, and in June 2023, investigators learned through a "citizen witness" that Tucker was concerned about a "CI." The citizen witness said Tucker admitted to them that he shot Brown – but said someone named "T-Mac" killed Robinson. 

READ MORE: Charges filed against Joseph Tucker

The citizen witness said they personally knew T-Mac and identified that person as Mills from a booking photograph, according to court filings. The citizen witness also told investigators that they spoke to Mills, who admitted they "did it."

Charlus Robinson and Amarion Brown

Mills was in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail in July 2023, according to a criminal complaint. At that time, he made a call from jail – which was recorded – in which he described concern about someone in the jail saying "all type of (expletive)" and "outrageous (expletive)."

According to prosecutors, further investigation revealed Mills ordered a ride at around the same time Tucker did on the morning of Sept. 1, 2022. The ride dropped him one door down from the home where the brothers were killed. Records were "consistent with Tucker sending Mills funds via Cash App and Mills in turn booking/taking an Uber ride to the homicide scene" around 5 a.m. that morning, as seen in the video.

Information from Mills' cellphone paced him near scenes and times associated with the case, court filings said. Prosecutors said it was "consistent with (Mills) being the one who met up with Tucker around the time of the homicide, and was in the same location as Tucker shortly after the homicide, near where the Jeep was recovered."

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Prosecutors said the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory found "very strong support" that Tucker was in the DNA mixture found in the Jeep, as well as "moderate support" that Mills was in the DNA mixture. The findings corroborated information obtained during the investigation that Tucker was the driver and Mills was the passenger when it was abandoned. 

Law enforcement scene near 62nd and Tower in Brown Deer

In September 2024, court filings said a "civilian witness" identified Tucker and Mills as suspects – more than two years after the brothers were killed. The civilian witness was in prison when they spoke to investigators, and said the victims had been selling drugs. The civilian witness said part of the motive for the homicides was Mills got "laced" drugs from the victims. The civilian witness said they spoke to Mills in March 2023 – and Mills admitted to the homicides.

In November 2024, prosecutors said the same civilian witness was shown video surveillance of the suspects abandoning the Keep; they identified those people as Tucker and Mills.