Murder charges filed against four in death of man outside hotel

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Scripps News Milwaukee) — The Milwaukee County District Attorney has charged four former Hyatt Regency employees with murder in relation to the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell, Tuesday afternoon.

FILE – This undated photo provided by Samantha Mitchell shows D’Vontaye Mitchell, left, who died on June 30, 2024, after being pinned to the ground by hotel security guards in Milwaukee with his sister Nayish Mitchell and cousin Samantha Mitchell. (Samantha Mitchell via AP, File)

The former employees charged are:

1. Todd Erickson, an on-duty security guard.

2. Brandon Turner, an off-duty security guard.

3. Devin Johnson-Carson, a front desk clerk.

4. Herbert Williamson, a bellman.

Mitchell died outside the downtown hotel on June 30.

A criminal complaint, released Tuesday afternoon by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, details the investigation into Mitchell’s murder.

The complaint shows the events visible on Hyatt security footage that was released by the victim’s family’s attorneys last week. Investigators said they saw Turner, the off-duty security guard who was at the hotel at the time, running after Mitchell. They said they could see Turner punch Mitchell repeatedly, pull him to the ground, and drag him out of the hotel.

The complaint alleges the surveillance video eventually showed all four men, who are now criminally charged, on top of Mitchell, pinning him to the ground.

The complaint states Mitchell “does not instigate any violence or display any obviously aggressive or threatening behavior while on the hotel premise.” It also claims Mitchell “stopped showing movement or resistance or other signs of life” as he’s pinned to the ground, for what police said, was approximately eight to nine minutes.

The on-duty security guard, Erickson, allegedly told police he and the other Hyatt security are not certified or trained. He also stated “Hyatt did not provide them with training in defense and arrest tactics training (DAAT).”

Police initially said Mitchell caused a disturbance, which they said triggered this entire altercation.

According to Turner, per the complaint, he “observed Mitchell begging and harassing a guest of the hotel” and that Turner “went inside the hotel and saw Mitchell begging for money.”

On Friday, August 2nd, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office released the final results of Mitchell’s autopsy, ruling his death a homicide.

The report said his immediate cause of death was “restraint asphyxia and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine.”

Arrest warrants have been issued for the four individuals charged in this case.

Scripps News Milwaukee’s Jenna Rae spoke with Mitchell’s family Tuesday night, after 37 days of waiting, praying, and protesting, without any charges or arrests.

“It’s a small victory, but we’re grateful because we’ve been steppin’ for him, and we gonna keep steppin’. We seen what this steppin’ got us, we seen what it got us, but we want these charges to stick,” Darrell Giles, Mitchell’s brother, said.

Giles and his other siblings were surrounded by love and support during their talk with Rae. They said justice has just begun.

“We are grateful for the DA making this move today, you know, that he did, and we just hope he keeps moving forward with doing the right thing,” Nayisha Mitchell, D’Vontaye Mitchell’s sister, echoed.

Rae also talked with the family’s attorney, nationally recognized civil rights lawyer, Ben Crump.

“We felt that it should’ve happened sooner, but we are relieved today, finally, that they have charges brought for the killing of D’Vontaye Mitchell,” Crump said. “The fact that D’Vontaye was held face down on the pavement for eight to nine minutes, just like George Floyd is a sobering reminder of the urgent need for accountability and justice.”

The Mitchell’s and Giles’ said their fight continues and the memories of their brother will live on forever.

“It’s a bittersweet win, cause really we shouldn’t be celebrating anybody getting charged with killing my brother, because it never should’ve happened in the first place,” Rendell Giles, Mitchell’s youngest brother, added.

This story was originally written by Jenna Rae at Scripps News Milwaukee, an E.W. Scripps Company.