Milwaukee homicide trial; man accused of witness intimidation
MILWAUKEE - The family of a man accused of homicide posted money to get him out of jail. Now he’s accused of witness intimidation in his upcoming trial.
Michael Crawford, 43, and 57-year-old Bernard Goines are charged with intimidating a witness in Crawford's homicide case. Crawford is also charged with two counts of ball jumping.
Milwaukee police responded to a shooting near 11th and Ring on June 18. They located a man in the front yard and was shot 16 times. He died on the scene.
The man was later identified as 39-year-old Prince Jacobs.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Court filings say a person saw Jacobs and Crawford arguing.
As Jacobs walked away, the witness said Crawford went to a truck, grabbed a gun and said, "Prince come here. Let me holler at you."
FOX6 spoke with Jacobs’ family, who said they wish to remain anonymous for their own safety.
"My depression and anxiety has gotten a lot worse, just because he’s all I think about," one family member said.
Crawford was arrested later in June and his bond was set at $500,000. A judge later lowered it to $250,000. Records show his mother posted the money in September to get him out.
"The court shouldn’t have even allowed his bail to be lowered, and to go out and harm another person, that’s wrong," one of Jacobs’ family members said.
11th and Ring homicide; Milwaukee man charged in fatal shooting
A 43-year-old Milwaukee man is now charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a man near 11th and Ring on June 18.
Last month, police found the homicide witness near 10th and Ring. He was shot in the chin and shoulder.
Brandon Copeland, 41, was charged with shooting the witness last month.
Cut to a sunny afternoon in December, Crawford appeared inside a jail courtroom. Milwaukee County assistant district attorney Paul Tiffin asked Milwaukee police detective Ryan Casey about what the witness said.
"[He] stated that ‘Big B’ told him that he’d been looking for him, and Big B proceeded to make a phone call," Casey said.
He said the call was made to Crawford.
Later, the witness was hurt in the drive-by and Copeland was charged in the shooting. He is currently being held in jail.
Goines was released on a signature bond.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
Both men don't have attorneys right now.
Crawford was bound over for trial on the new charges and his bond is now set at $1 million.