MILWAUKEE, Wis. – All of those accused of killing D’Vontaye Mitchell have turned themselves in. Todd Erickson, Brandon Turner, Devin Johnson-Carson and Herbert Williamson, all former employees of the Hyatt Regency, have all been charged with first-degree murder.
Mitchell died outside the Hyatt on June 30 after the four men pinned him to the ground for eight to nine minutes, according to investigators.
On Friday morning, Williamson was the last of the four suspects to turn himself in to jail. Hours later, his co-defendant Johnson-Carson appeared in court for the first time.
The state asked for bail of $5,000 for Johnson-Carson, a vast difference from the $50,000 set for Erickson and the $30,000 set for Turner.
“There are varying degrees of criminal culpability in all cases, depending on the individual actions of the defendant and his actions since the incident that led to this case,” said Assistant District Attorney Daniel Flaherty. “Because of that, I think each of these co-defendants has a very different posture than the others.”
Watch: All suspects charged in the murder of D’Vontaye Mitchell are in custody
Four former hotel employees arrested on suspicion of death of D’Vontaye Mitchell
The commissioner agreed to the $5,000.
Surveillance video shows Johnson-Carson engaging with Mitchell, followed by cellphone video of him holding Mitchell’s legs and feet shortly before his death.
After Mitchell’s death, according to lawyers, Johnson-Carson signed an affidavit stating that after staff members took Mitchell to the ground, he “no longer posed a threat of any kind and offered no resistance.”
Johnson-Carson also told lawyers that he was “instructed by the security manager on duty to hold his legs and apply pressure.” That security manager on duty was Erickson.
Johnson-Carson also claimed that Mitchell “showed clear signs of extreme distress, including choking, shortness of breath, and repeated cries for help.”
TMJ4 News was in court for several hours on Friday awaiting Williamson’s first appearance, but that never happened.
The preliminary hearings for Erickson, Turner and Johnson-Carson will take place on August 19. TMJ4 will be there.
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