73-year-old beaten to death in Milwaukee, man charged with intentional homicide

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man is accused of killing a 73-year-old man who was asleep on a bench at Cream City Gardens, located near 13th and Juneau, on June 30. 

Prosecutors charged 28-year-old Isaac Moore-Hodges with first-degree intentional homicide. 

Case details

The backstory:

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the scene that day for a battery complaint. 

When they arrived at the scene, they found a 73-year-old man on the ground in the park with severe injuries to his face. He was pulseless and not breathing, court filings say. 

While on scene, police spoke with an employee of Guest House of Milwaukee -- which is a homeless shelter located across the street from Cream City Gardens. 

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The employee told police that she was walking into the Guest House at about 3:45 a.m. when she saw Isaac Moore-Hodges in the area where the body was found. She claims Moore-Hodges was breathing heavily.

Surveillance video

What we know:

According to the complaint, surveillance footage from Guest House of Milwaukee showed Isaac Moore-Hodges approaching the victim around 3:35 a.m. carrying what appeared to be a plastic milk crate. 

The victim was sleeping on a bench under a pavilion in the park. 

The video showed Moore-Hodges hitting the victim 18 times, per the complaint. The video shows the victim getting up and walking behind the pavilion wall. The victim then appears to fall.

Court filings say Moore-Hodges then appears to stand over where the victim fell, and swings down with the plastic crate. Moore-Hodges swings down eight more times, the complaint states. 

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According to the complaint, Moore-Hodges then walks away, but returns multiple times and appears to use the crate, swinging down numerous times at the area where the victim's body was found.  

An autopsy determined that the victim sustained "blunt force injury of the neck and head," the complaint states. 

Per the complaint, an employee of Guest House of Milwaukee said Isaac Moore-Hodges is a military veteran who began staying at the Guest House in February 2025, left in April, and returned in early June. 

Court proceedings

What's next:

Isaac Moore-Hodges made his intal appearance in court on July 3. Cash bond was set at $100,000. 

Moore-Hodges is due back in court on July 10 for his preliminary hearing.