A Wisconsin man has been charged in the deaths of six people last January in Milwaukee.
35-year-old Travis Birkley has been charged with six counts of felony murder resulting from an armed robbery – party to a crime, according to court documents.
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 outside the home who said “there’s two bodies down there.” Police surveyed the three-story home and found three bodies in the basement, which appeared to be sleeping. Once blankets were removed, police noticed gunshot wounds to the head of all three, later identified as 42-year-old Charles Hardy, 23-year-old Caleb Jordan, and 31-year-old Javoni Liddel. In the upper unit of the residence, police found 44-year-old Donta “Michael” Williams and 49-year-old Michelle Williams dead from gunshot wounds.
In the upper unit, police found several rooms that appeared to have items out of place as though someone had been searching for an item or items. Police then entered a large room that contained piles of items, as though someone was piling things up while looking for something.
During follow-up searches, victim 43-year-old Donald Smith, was found deceased under a pile of clothing in the second-floor bedroom.
On the kitchen floor, detectives found a bronze-fired 9mm cartridge casing. In the common room, between the bodies of Michelle and Donta, Detective Smith found an additional seven fired 9mm cartridge casings. Elsewhere in that room, they found an additional two fired 9mm cartridge casings and a last fired 9mm cartridge casing in the upstairs living room. There were a total of 10 fired 9mm cartridge casings in the upper unit of the residence.
In the basement, detectives found numerous indicators that several people were living in the basement. Additionally, they found prescription bottles and paperwork in the name of the above-mentioned defendant, as well as a Visa debit card in the name of the defendant’s cousin.
In total, 11 fired 9mm cartridge casings were taken to the Milwaukee Police Department Intelligence Fusion Center and subjected to testing which determined that the casings were consistent with having been fired by two different 9mm handguns, one fired 6 fired 9mm casings and the other fired 5 fired 9mm casings. This would be consistent with two shooters being involved in this incident.
Police spoke with a family friend of Michelle Williams who said her family hadn’t heard from her in two days. When the witnesses went to the home on 21st and Wright, they found dried blood on the doorknob and on the interior door. They then called 911. When officers arrived, the witness went inside but found the door to the main part of the house locked, so she went downstairs. Once there, they saw the legs of two people and ran upstairs to tell the police that there were “bodies” in the basement.
A friend of the victims said she would go there almost daily to buy and use K2, synthetic marijuana, which was sold there. She stated she was at the residence on January 19 and saw Donta Williams, Donald Smith, Michelle Williams, and Charles Hardy all present. She stated that while she was there, Donta Williams was on someone’s Facebook Live counting out his profits from selling K2. She stated that he counted up to $16,000 while she was there.
The same witness said she spoke to victim Donald Smith on Facebook messenger on a video chat at 7:33 a.m. on Jan. 20. The call lasted 26 minutes and 53 seconds and ended just before 8:00 a.m. on January 20. This was the last time she saw Donald Smith. She tried to call him at both 11:53 a.m. and 11:59 a.m., but he did not answer. She then went to the residence that same day around 12:50 p.m. and was pounding on the door, yelling her name in an attempt to be let in. No one answered and Donald did not answer any of her texts or calls ever again, the complaint said.
Phone records and interviews with family members found all the victims were killed on January 20th, sometime after 8:00 a.m.
The 911 call occurred at 3:46 a.m. This is the same number that left an unread text message on Donta Williams’ cell phone on January 20, 2022. The caller was female and was crying. The caller stated “please help me” and stated that she was shot in the head. The caller stated that she was currently at 2505 N. 24th Street. She also stated that three other people had been shot. Detectives noted that the address number is the exact number of the residence involved in this incident, just off by three blocks. He also notes that the claims of injuries match those suffered by several of the victims. Multiple people could be heard on the call, according to the complaint.
Once the female caller is transferred to the Milwaukee Fire Department operator, she again repeated the address of 2505 N. 24th place and now stated that four other people in the house were also shot. The female caller stated that she was shot in the face and begins to ask for help. The line is disconnected. Milwaukee Police are immediately dispatched to the address. Five different Milwaukee police squads are dispatched to the residence and determine that the address does not exist. The officers attempt numerous times to call the phone number back, without success. The police checked this area for over 25 minutes and could not find any victims, a complaint read.
The emergency dispatch center check phone records for the caller’s number and they appeared to show that 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. Officers went to two businesses, neither of which reported hearing any gunshots at that time. He also made several attempts to call the number back, but was unsuccessful.
On January 25, Milwaukee Police Department of the 911 call to the residence of 2835 A. N. 29th Street. At that residence, police found the Birkley, as well as three other people. The cell phone was located inside the residence and determined to be Birkley’s cell phone. A person in the residence admitted to police that she was the one who made the phone call to police described above. She said the defendant is the one that told her to call and what to say. Thus, someone with the defendant made the suspicious phone call to police that had the exact house number, as well as the knowledge that multiple individuals had been shot, and that at least one person had been shot in the face. Therefore, Birkley allegedly told someone to make a phone call that clearly contained information only someone involved in the crime would have.
Starting at 11:53 p.m. on January 19, 2022 and until 3:05 pm on January 20, 2022, Birkley’s cell phone is hitting off cell towers and displaying timing advance data that is consistent with him being at the homicide location. Importantly, this includes several hours after the homicides occurred, a complaint said.
During a review of his cell phone, detectives located a “selfie” that had been taken using the cell phone. The “selfie” is taken on January 20 at 10:25 a.m. The picture shows the defendant in what appears to be a basement. The walls, pipes and other distinguishing markings in the photo, police were able to locate a spot in the basement of 2505 N. 21st St that corresponds with that photo. Thus, Birkley took a photo of himself in the basement where three dead bodies were later located, at a time several hours after they were believed to be killed, a complaint said.
Lastly, the “selfie” shows Birkley wearing a pair of what appears to be expensive eyeglasses. Witnesses have told police that he did not wear glasses. Two witnesses have been shown the “selfie” and identified the glasses worn by Birkley as belonging to victim Donta Williams. One witness was able to forward a photo of victim Donta Williams wearing what appears to be the same glasses, prior to his death.
When combined with the timing described above, this is consistent with the Defendant taking a photo of glasses taken from the deceased victim while in the basement where three dead victims are, all at a time consistent with all six victims already being dead.
A confidential witness told detectives they knew Birkley and that he had admitted to committing the homicides with his cousin during a “robbery gone bad,” the complaint said.
The witness said Birkley told him that he and his cousin had planned to rob Donta Williams and after being let into the upper unit, had pulled firearms on Donta. Birkley then stated that Michelle had come from a “blind” spot in an attempt to protect Donta, so Birkley told the witness that he and his cousin had shot Michelle first and then Donta. He then went on to say he and his cousin had then gone downstairs and had to shoot Charles Hardy because he was coming upstairs with a firearm or was about to come upstairs with a firearm, the complaint read. Birkley then said that everyone else in the basement had to be shot so that there would not be any other witnesses.
The witness said victim Donald Smith must have heard the gunshots. Birkley told them that he and his cousin did not know that Donald was present until he came out and they shot him as well.
Cash bond for Birkley is set for $1 million. He is due back in court on June 15 for his preliminary hearing.
The Milwaukee Police Department continues to seek additional information regarding this 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 P3 Tips App.
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