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Apartment robberies, shootings; 2 charged
A Milwaukee man and woman are each charged in connection to separate July shootings that happened at their apartment building.
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man and woman are each charged with multiple felonies in connection to separate July shootings that happened at their apartment building.
Prosecutors said 21-year-old Abby Fulwiler and 20-year-old Jalen Sanders worked together to lure two victims under the guise of a $300 massage with plans to rob them instead.
In all, both Fulwiler and Sanders are each charged with the same three counts: armed robbery, first-degree reckless injury and felony murder. Both made their initial court appearances on Aug. 3 and had cash bond set at $200,000.
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Shooting, armed robbery | July 16
Officers were called to a shooting at an apartment building near 86th and Good Hope. The victim was shot in the leg and taken to a hospital, where a criminal complaint states he spoke to police.
The victim said he was contacted that day by someone he knew as "Marilyn Harris" about getting a $300 massage at the apartment, per the complaint. He had met the woman roughly a year ago, and they had met in person a few times since.
Apartment building near 86th and Good Hope
When the victim got to the apartment building, the complaint states he and "Harris" were in the hallway when a man with a ski mask and "semi-automatic assault rifle with an extended magazine" appeared. The man then shot the victim and said: "Give me your (expletive)!"
The victim handed over his wallet and emptied his pockets, according to the complaint. The shooter walked out the front door and "Harris" left the scene. The victim then waited for help to arrive.
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A resident had a surveillance camera inside their apartment which showed the outside of the building. Prosecutors said video from that camera showed a woman with tattoos on her right arm leaving after the shooting – followed by a man with a "rifle-style firearm."
The victim showed investigators his phone, which the complaint states included a phone number for "Harris." That phone number was listed to Fulwiler. Police then compared a previous booking photo of Fulwiler and determined she was the woman seen on surveillance.
The complaint states the shooting "shattered" the victim's femur and removed a "large section" of the back of his leg.
Fatal shooting | July 28
Police were called back to the same apartment building less than two weeks later. There, officers arrived to find a man – later identified as Javier Hernandez-Gazga – with a gunshot wound to the chest "in a very similar location" to the July 16 shooting victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The complaint states Sanders let police into the building that night. He told police he heard a "boom," ran into the hallway, found the victim downstairs, called 911 and did compressions on the victim until first responders arrived.
Fulwiler was inside Sanders' apartment, the complaint states, and she was taken into custody for the July 16 shooting.
Apartment building near 86th and Good Hope
Officers got a search warrant for the apartment and found a black rifle that appeared to be the same one carried by the July 16 gunman, per the complaint. Sanders was then taken into custody.
Prosecutors said cards with Hernandez-Gazga's name on them were found in a bin inside the apartment as well.
While in custody, Fulwiler's phone rang when officers dialed the number for "Harris." The complaint states a review of the phone further revealed a text conversation with Hernandez-Gazga less than an hour before the shooting, in which he arranged to come to the apartment for a $300 appointment. It also showed Hernandez-Gazga arrived at the apartment building two minutes before the initial 911 call.
Sanders interview
Detectives interviewed Sanders on July 30. According to the complaint, he initially denied any involvement in either shooting – but his stories changed.
Sanders was shown a still surveillance image from July 16. Prosecutors said he then admitted Fulwiler was the woman, but initially denied he was the man with the gun. He later admitted he was the person with the gun and the person who shot the victim.
According to the complaint, Sanders said he and Fulwiler moved into the apartment on July 15 – the day before the first shooting. To make rent, he said they talked about bringing people over with the intent of robbing them. He said he was "reckless with the gun" and had his finger on the trigger in the July 16 shooting.
Criminal complaint filed against Jalen Sanders and Abby Fulwiler
Sanders repeatedly denied knowledge of Hernandez-Gazga's cards that were found inside the apartment, per the complaint. He eventually admitted he took the cards after finding the victim shot in the hallway – but again denied shooting him.
When asked where Fulwiler was at the time, the complaint states Sanders said she was at the gas station. When detectives told him that no camera showed her leaving the building, he only reiterated that he was not in the hallway at the time of the shooting – and said he was on the phone with someone at the time. A review of Sanders' phone, though, found no calls around the time of the shooting.
Sander later admitted Fulwiler was downstairs at the time of the shooting, the complaint states, and that she came upstairs to their apartment crying afterward. He said she never said anything to him about the shooting and denied that the gun found in the apartment was used to shoot Hernandez-Gazga.