Brown Deer homicides; Joseph Tucker sentenced, life in prison
BROWN DEER, Wis. - A Milwaukee County judge sentenced Joseph Tucker on Wednesday, July 24 to two consecutive life in prison terms for killing two people in 2022.
A jury in May found Tucker guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of taking and driving a vehicle without consent in connection with the deaths of Amarion Brown and Charlus Robinson in Brown Deer.
Case details
In September 2022, Brown Deer police responded near 62nd and Tower for the deaths of Brown and Robinson, both 18-year-old Brown Deer residents. Brown and Robinson were shot at their home.
Law enforcement scene near 62nd and Tower in Brown Deer
According to a criminal complaint, 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 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 identified the friend as Tucker.
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The complaint states 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 SUV having driven around other vehicles that were parked in the driveway to leave.
Missing SUV, surveillance
Milwaukee police found the missing SUV on Sept. 3 abandoned with a flat tire near 71st and Landers.
Police reviewed surveillance video that showed the SUV driving from the direction of the homicide scene toward where it was later found the morning of Sept. 1. It was first spotted on surveillance roughly a mile-and-a-half from 62nd and Tower. Police said the time between when it was first seen and where it was abandoned was "consistent" with the amount of time needed to make that drive. Surveillance also captured video and audio of a driver and passenger getting out and running away after abandoning the SUV near 71st and Landers.
Brown Deer homicides, Milwaukee man charged in brothers' deaths
A Milwaukee man is charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide for the deaths of Amarion Brown and Charlus Robinson in Brown Deer.
Tucker identified
Per the complaint, the driver was identified as Tucker based on the driver's appearance, clothing, voice and walk as seen on surveillance.
Police said they spoke to a man who said he talked to Tucker on Sept. 6 – five days after the victims were found. The man said Tucker "discussed the homicides of Amarion and Charlus."
Phone records
The complaint states police reviewed Tucker's phone records – including location data, app data and usage history.
Police believe the person responsible for the homicides had been let into the home and left the scene between 5:34 a.m. and 5:39 a.m. on Sept. 1. Per the complaint, Tucker's phone was not connected to the network from 2:30 a.m. and 6:09 a.m. When it was disconnected, it was placed near the scene. When it reconnected, it was near the site of the abandoned SUV.
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An additional review of data gathered from Tucker's phone records showed his accounts were using an IP address assigned to Brown and Robinson's home around 4:40 a.m. on Sept. 1. While connected to that IP address around 2:40 a.m., the complaint states a Lyft ride was requested to pick someone up from the home – and the payment account for the requested ride was in Tucker's name.
The complaint also states data from the phone placed it in Clark, Georgia on Sept. 10 before returning to Milwaukee on Oct. 9. Police said Tucker "abandoned" his phone number and started using a different one when he left the state.
Police also reviewed Robinson's phone data. It placed his phone at his home until around 5:34 a.m. on Sept. 1 – at which time it placed it around a half-mile away. Police searched that area, but never found it.