Court orders 4 Milwaukee men to stand trial in killing of man outside hotel lobby
MADISON, Wis. — MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — Four hotel workers from Milwaukee The man accused of killing a man by pinning him to the ground in June will stand trial on murder charges, a court official ordered Monday.
Hyatt Hotel security guards Todd Erickson and Brandon Turner, along with bellhop Herbert Williamson and front desk clerk Devin Johnson-Carson, are each charged with aiding and abetting murder. The death of D’Vontaye Mitchell.
If found guilty, they could all face up to 15 years and nine months in prison.
Mitchell’s family’s lawyers have compared his death to the murder of George Floyda black man who died in 2020 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for about nine minutes. Mitchell was also black. Court documents identify Erickson as white and Turner, Williamson and Johnson-Carson as black.
Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Rosa Barillas bound all four over for trial after a joint preliminary hearing. Court commissioners are attorneys hired by Wisconsin judges to conduct preliminary hearings and other administrative duties.
The four will make a plea on Thursday morning.
Attorneys for Erickson, Johnson-Carson and Turner did not respond to messages seeking comment. No contact information could be found for Williamson’s attorney, listed in online court records as Theodore O’Reilly.
Mitchell died on June 30. According to a criminal complaint, surveillance cameras and bystander video showed Mitchell running into the lobby of the downtown hotel and entering a women’s restroom that afternoon. Two women later told investigators that Mitchell tried to lock them in the restroom.
Turner and a hotel guest dragged Mitchell out of the building and into the hotel driveway, the complaint said. Turner, Erickson, Williamson and Johnson-Carson held Mitchell for eight to nine minutes as Mitchell begged them to stop and complained that he couldn’t breathe.
Williamson told investigators that he put his knee on Mitchell’s back. He said Mitchell was strong, wouldn’t calm down and tried to bite Erickson.
By the time police and emergency responders arrived, Mitchell was no longer moving, the complaint said.
According to the criminal complaint, the Milwaukee County Coroner’s Office found that Mitchell was severely overweight, suffered from heart disease and had cocaine and methamphetamine in his blood.
After reviewing video of the incident, Assistant Coroner Lauren Decker determined that Mitchell suffered from “restraint asphyxia” because the workers were holding down his legs, arms, back and head, essentially preventing Mitchell from breathing.
Aimbridge Hospitality, the company that manages the hotel, laid off the four employees in July.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announced Monday that Mitchell’s family has reached a confidential settlement with Hyatt. Officials with Aimbridge Hospitality confirmed the agreement.
“The settlement announced today is the result of good faith discussions with representatives of the family of D’Vontaye Mitchell, with the goal of providing the family with some comfort as they grieve this tragic loss,” Ambridge Hospitality said in a statement.