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MILWAUKEY – A Milwaukee man is accused of killing six people in January in the northern part of the city.
Travis Berkeley, 34, has been charged with six counts of aggravated murder as a result of armed robbery – a country under crime, according to court documents.
Crime scene
According to a criminal complaint, police were called to the home near 21st and Wright on Jan. 23 around 3:30 p.m. When police arrived, they found two people in front of the house who said, “There are two bodies down there.” Police searched the three-story house and found three bodies in the basement – people who appeared to be asleep. After the blankets were removed, police noticed gunshot wounds to the head of all three, later identified as Charles Hardy, 42, Caleb Jordan, 23, and Giavoni Liddle, 31.
Michael Williams, Michelle Williams
In the upper block of the residence, police found 44-year-old Donta “Michael” Williams and 49-year-old Michelle Williams dead from gunshot wounds. Police also found several rooms in which there appear to be items that are out of place, as if someone were looking for an item or items. Then the police entered a large room containing piles of objects, as if someone were piling things up while looking for something.
During subsequent searches, 43-year-old Donald Smith was found dead under a pile of clothes in the bedroom on the second floor.
Investigators found 10 9mm shell casings fired in the upper block of the residence.
In the basement, detectives found many signs that several people lived there. They also found bottles of recipes and documents in the name of Travis Berkeley, as well as a VISA debit card in the name of Berkeley’s cousin.
A total of 11 9mm shell casings were taken to the Milwaukee Police Intelligence Center and subjected to testing, which found that the shell casings matched the fact that they had been fired from two different 9mm pistols. One shot six and the other five, according to two shooters involved in the incident.
Statements of witnesses
Police spoke with a family friend of Michelle Williams, who said her family had not heard from her in days. When witnesses went to the home of the 21st and Wright, they found dried blood on the doorknob and the inner door. They then called 911. When officers arrived, a witness went inside but found the door to the main part of the house locked, so she went downstairs. Once he arrived, the witness saw the legs of two people and ran upstairs to tell police that there were “bodies” in the basement.
Investigation into a murder near 21st and Wright, Milwaukee
A friend of the victims said she would go there almost every day to buy and use K2, or synthetic marijuana that was sold there. She said she was at the residence on January 19 and saw Donta Williams, Donald Smith, Michelle Williams and Charles Hardy attend. She said that while she was there, Donta Williams was on someone’s Facebook Live and counted his profits from the sale of K2. She said he counted up to $ 16,000 while she was there.
The same witness said she spoke to victim Donald Smith on Facebook Messenger in a video chat at 7:33 a.m. on Jan. 20. The call lasted 26 minutes and 53 seconds and ended shortly before 8 am on January 20. That was the last time he saw Donald Smith. She tried to call him at 11:53 and 11:59 in the morning, but he did not answer. She then went to the residence that day at around 12:50 pm and knocked on the door, shouting her name in an attempt to let her go. No one answered, and Donald never answered any of her texts or phone calls again, the complaint said.
Telephone recordings and interviews with family members revealed that all victims were killed on January 20, sometime after 8 am
Suspicious call to the police
A call to 911 occurred at 3:46 a.m. on Jan. 23 from the same number that left an unread text message on Donta Williams’ cell phone on Jan. 20. The caller was a woman crying, “Please help me,” indicating that she had been shot in the head. The caller said he was currently at 2505 N. 24th Street and that three other people had been shot. Detectives noted that the address number was the exact number of the home involved in the incident, only three blocks away. He also noted that the allegations of injuries coincided with those suffered by several of the victims. According to the complaint, many people were heard on the call.
Investigation into a murder near the 21st and Wright in Milwaukee
After the woman was called to the Milwaukee Fire Department, she repeated the address to 2505 N. 24th Place and now said four other people in the house had also been shot. The woman who called said she had been shot in the face and began begging for help. The line was cut off and the police were immediately sent to the address. Five different Milwaukee police teams were sent to the residence, and police determined the address did not exist. Employees repeatedly tried to call the phone number without success. Police have been inspecting the area for more than 25 minutes and found no victims, the complaint said.
Dispatchers checked the phone records for the caller’s number and it turned out that the call was made from the area of 2876 N. 32nd Street. Two minutes later, a Milwaukee police officer arrived in the area of 2876 N. 32nd Street, which was a closed construction site. Police went to two companies, neither of which said they heard gunshots at the time. Police also made several attempts to call the number, but were unsuccessful.
On Jan. 25, Milwaukee police tracked a 911 call to the 2835 AN 29th Street residence. Police found Berkeley and three others at the residence. The mobile phone was located at the residence and according to the complaint it was determined to be Berkeley’s mobile phone. Someone at the residence admitted to police that she was the one who made the phone call. She said Berkeley was the one who told her to call and what to say. In this way, someone with Birkley made a suspicious phone call to the police, which had the exact number of the house, as well as the knowledge that many people were shot and that at least one person was shot in the face, the complaint said. That’s why Berkeley is said to have told someone to make a phone call that clearly contains information that only someone involved in the crime.
Berkeley cell phone recordings
According to prosecutors, from 11:53 pm on January 19, 2022 and until 3:05 pm on January 20, 2022, Berkeley’s cell phone hit the cell towers and showed preliminary weather data corresponding to that. that he was at the scene of the murder. Importantly, this includes several hours after the killings.
During a search of his cell phone, detectives discovered a “selfie” that was taken with a cell phone on January 20 at 10:25 a.m. The photo shows Berkeley in what appears to be a basement. Referring to the walls, pipes and other distinctive signs in the photo, police officers were able to find a place in the basement of 2505 N. 21st St, which corresponds to this photo. Prosecutors thus say Berkeley took a picture of himself in the basement, where three bodies were later found hours after they were believed to have been killed.
21st and scene of the murder of Wright, Milwaukee
Finally, the selfie shows that Berkeley is wearing a pair of what appears to be expensive glasses. Witnesses told police he did not wear glasses. Two witnesses were shown the “selfie” and identified the glasses worn by Berkeley as belonging to Donta Williams. One witness managed to hand over a photo of the victim, Donta Williams, wearing what appeared to be the same glasses before her death.
When combined with the time described above, prosecutors say this corresponds to Berkeley taking a picture of glasses taken from the deceased victim while in the basement, where three dead victims were at the same time, according to all six. victims who are already dead.
Confidential witness
A confidential witness told detectives they knew Berkeley and he admitted to killing his cousin during a “robbery that developed”, the complaint said.
The witness said that Berkeley had told him that he and his cousin had planned to rob Donta Williams and, after being released into the upper block, had removed a firearm from Donta. Berkeley then stated that Michelle had come from a “blind spot” in an attempt to protect Donta, so Berkeley told the witness that he and his cousin had shot Michelle first and then Donta. He added that he and his cousin then went downstairs and had to shoot Charles Hardy because he came upstairs with a firearm or was about to go upstairs with a firearm, the complaint said. Berkeley then said that everyone else in the basement should be shot so that there were no other witnesses.
The witness said the victim, Donald Smith, must have heard the shots. Berkeley told them that he and his cousin did not know that Donald was present until he came out, and they shot him too.
The money bond for Berkeley was set at $ 1 million.
Milwaukee police said they were still looking for more information about the incident. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-Tips or the P3 Tips App.
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