D'Vontaye Mitchell death: Men accused of murder plead not guilty
MILWAUKEE - The four men charged with felony murder in the June death of D'Vontaye Mitchell outside a Milwaukee hotel pleaded not guilty on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Todd Erickson, Daniel Johnson-Carson, Brandon Turner and Herbert Williamson were all arraigned Thursday; all four were bound over for trial on Monday.
Court records show bond was reduced for both Erickson and Turner on Thursday. Erickson's was reduced from $50,000 to $5,000, and Turner's was reduced from $30,000 to $5,000.
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Erickson and Turner worked as Hyatt Regency security guards, while Johnson-Carson worked the front desk and Williamson worked as a bellhop. Aimbridge Hospitality, the company that manages the hotel, fired the four workers in July.
All four men are each charged with the same count – felony murder – and could face up to 15 years and nine months in prison if they're convicted.
Todd Erickson; Brandon Turner; Devin Johnson-Carson; Herbert Williamson
Case details
Mitchell died on June 30. According to a criminal complaint, surveillance and bystander videos showed Mitchell run into the downtown hotel's lobby that afternoon and enter a women's bathroom. Two women later told investigators that Mitchell tried to lock them in the bathroom.
Turner and a hotel guest dragged Mitchell out of the building and into the hotel driveway, the complaint said. Turner, Erickson, Williamson and Johnson-Carson pinned Mitchell down for eight to nine minutes as Mitchell pleaded for them to stop and complained about not being able to breathe.
D'Vontaye Mitchell
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Williamson told investigators that he put his knee on Mitchell’s back, adding that Mitchell was strong, wouldn’t calm down and tried to bite Erickson.
Turner told investigators he thought Mitchell was on drugs, Erickson told them that he didn't do anything to intentionally hurt or kill Mitchell, and Johnson-Carson told them none of the hotel employees thought Mitchell had stopped breathing, according to the complaint. Johnson-Carson added that he told Williamson at one point to stop applying pressure and Williamson stopped.
By the time police and emergency responders arrived, Mitchell had stopped moving, the complaint said.
D'Vontaye Mitchell death; hotel settles, 4 accused headed to trial
The attorneys for D'Vontaye Mitchell's family announced a settlement has been reached with Aimbridge Hospitality, the third-party operator of the HyattRegency in Milwaukee, over Mitchell's death.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Mitchell was morbidly obese and suffered from heart disease, according to the complaint, and had cocaine and methamphetamine in his system.
After watching video of the incident, Assistant Medical Examiner Lauren Decker determined that Mitchell suffered "restraint asphyxia" from the workers holding down his legs, arms, back and head. Essentially, they prevented Mitchell from breathing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.