Milwaukee boy found dead, father sentenced to prison
MILWAUKEE - A former Wisconsin's Most Wanted fugitive was sentenced on Thursday to decades behind bars for the death of his 12-year-old son.
Romuan Moye, 45, pleaded guilty to first-degree reckless homicide, chronic child neglect and failure to report the death of his son, Jacarie Robinson. He was then sentenced to 47 ½ years in prison and 25 years of extended supervision.
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The other charges Moye faced were dismissed, but read in for sentencing.
WARNING: The details of this case are graphic. Reader discretion is advised.
Romuan Moye
Case details
Jacarie Robinson's older brother said he found his brother's body inside their father's home near 39th and Elmhurst on Oct. 10, 2023. A criminal complaint said Jacarie's body was found lying on the living room floor, decomposing.
"This is stuff out of a horror movie," the judge said during Moye's sentencing.
The complaint states a citizen witness spoke with investigators. Three to four days before the boy's body was found, the witness told investigators they spoke to Moye outside the home and Moye "appeared to be acting abnormal." The witness never went inside or saw the boy, they said.
According to the complaint, Moye had indicated he had cancer and, for the preceding month, had claimed he "does not have long to live." As a result, the witness was trying to spend more time with Moye, but Moye had been "evasive." Moye had been even more evasive over the preceding week.
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Per the complaint, the witness went to the home on Oct. 10 and called for Moye: "If you are in there, please come out." When nobody answered, the witness went inside. The complaint states the witness was "immediately struck" by a strong odor, but did not see anyone. The witness went through the house a second time and found the 12-year-old's body.
The witness later told police that Moye had been keeping the 12-year-old away from family for the past few months because he was acting "really bad," not letting the child leave the house. The last time the witness recalled seeing the boy was on his 12th birthday in August 2023, and recalled the boy looking "extremely skinny," the complaint said. When the witness would ask the boy if he was OK, the boy would say "no," per the complaint.
The complaint states the witness added that Moye was a "harsh punisher," whose punishment could last for weeks – but was not often physical.
Jacarie Robinson
Police went inside the home where the boy was found and discovered an "overwhelming smell of mold, feces, and decay," per the complaint. There was a pile of garbage on the kitchen floor and another pile on the kitchen table. There was mold on the sink, moldy food on the counters and moldy food inside the refrigerator. The bathroom was in a similar state.
An autopsy of the 12-year-old found he had a broken right leg with callous bone formed from it healing. It was a "very large" and "irregular" fracture, the assistant medical examiner noted. The autopsy also found the boy's left leg appeared to be fractured, as were two ribs, which also had callous formations.
The assistant medical examiner found the body was "extremely malnourished and emaciated, with moderate decomposition of the body." He weighed 54 pounds at the autopsy.
In court, Moye's attorney said the 45-year-old always felt he had a "dark side" and the abuse of his son started after the death of Moye's girlfriend.