What we know about the 4 ex-Milwaukee hotel workers charged in D’Vontaye Mitchell’s death

By CNN Newsource

Published August 12, 2024 5:04 AM

By Ashley R. Williams, Sara Smart, Steve Almasy and Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — Four former hotel employees charged with felony murder in connection with the death this summer of D’Vontaye Mitchell are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning in Milwaukee County Court.

Mitchell, a 43-year-old Black man, was pinned to the ground outside a Milwaukee hotel for up to nine minutes, as seen on surveillance and cell phone video, and his death was ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report from Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office.

Hotel security manager Todd Alan Erickson, front desk agent Devin W. Johnson-Carson, security guard Brandon LaDaniel Turner and bellman Herbert T. Williamson were charged August 6. All have been fired by Aimbridge Hospitality, which operates the Hyatt Regency, according to a source familiar with the situation.

CNN has reached out for further comment to attorneys for each defendant.

Mitchell’s family believes he was in the midst of a mental health crisis during the incident that led to his death, according to a statement from civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

“While we agree that the employees should be charged with murder, we are mindful of the fact that this would not have happened without Mr. Mitchell’s family’s hiring lawyers to investigate the murder,” said his family’s attorney, William Sulton. “The family should not have had to wait 37 days for charges when the murder was captured on video.”

Erickson, Johnson-Carson, Turner and Williamson face up to 15 years and nine months in prison if convicted, according to criminal complaints filed August 6.

Here’s what we know about the involvement of the four men charged in connection with Mitchell’s death.

Todd Alan Erickson, former security manager

Erickson, 60, was the on-duty security manager at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Milwaukee on the day of Mitchell’s death.

He turned himself in on August 7 and made his first court appearance the next day, court records show. He remained in jail Monday on a $50,000 bond, court records show.

Erickson told Milwaukee detectives he had worked at the Hyatt as a security officer since April 2018 before his recent firing, according to a criminal complaint from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed August 6.

His job was to monitor surveillance cameras and patrol the premises, he told detectives, according to the complaint.

He and other security personnel at the hotel were neither licensed nor certified, though the Hyatt did provide them with CPR training, according to the complaint.

Erickson, who told authorities he carried his own collapsible baton, said the Hyatt did not provide staff with safety equipment and he “assumed his immediate supervisors (were) aware of his baton and (consented) to him carrying it,” the complaint states.

“Erickson stated that he is aware of certain escort techniques, pressure points, and that he has been trained to apply the baton in order to move hands behind one’s back,” according to the document.

On June 30, Erickson was working as security supervisor when he was alerted that Turner, an off-duty guard, was fighting with a man in the lobby, the complaint states.

Erickson told authorities he could see the fight on the security camera and went to the lobby to help. He said he arrived to find Turner, Williamson and Johnson-Carson “tussling” with Mitchell, who is referred to in the complaint as “DM.”

Erickson told authorities he tried to help the three men “get DM to the ground,” and added he could not recall whether he delivered any blows to Mitchell but remembered using his baton at one point to remove Mitchell’s hands from underneath him in order to put Mitchell’s hands behind his back, according to the complaint.

The former security manager noted Mitchell’s strength and told authorities Mitchell “kept resisting them,” the document shows.

“While he did not mention to detectives that DM ever struck Erickson or threatened staff, he did state that at some point, DM attempted to bite him,” according to the complaint.

Hotel security footage showing the incident unfolding in the hotel’s driveway showed Erickson appearing to try hitting Mitchell with a fist and then kicking him in the torso, the complaint states.

“Erickson stated that he was by DM’s head, Turner (was) on the victim’s left side, Williamson (was) on the right side, and Johnson-Carson (was) at DM’s feet,” the complaint details.

Erickson said once he, Turner, Williamson and Johnson-Carson got Mitchell on the ground, Erickson held Mitchell down by his shoulders and Mitchell continued to struggle with them, so he kept holding him down, the document shows.

At one point, Erickson appears to hit Mitchell with a collapsible baton, the complaint says.

Erickson claims he did not do anything to intentionally harm or kill Mitchell, according to the complaint.

Herbert T. Williamson, former bellman

Aimbridge Hospitality fired Williamson, 52, on July 10 due to “violation of standards of conduct and code of conduct,” a copy of the letter of termination he shared with CNN shows.

A warrant was issued for Williamson’s arrest on August 6 and last week his bond was adjusted to $5,000, court records show.

The former bellman, who worked at the hotel for a month and a half, felt he was being wrongfully charged, he told CNN August 7.

“The only thing I want to express to the family (of D’Vontaye Mitchell) is I deeply apologize. I didn’t know he was going to lose his life. I really hate that I got involved in the situation,” Williamson said.

Williamson was “terrified I was going to lose my job if I didn’t get involved” after a superior asked for his help holding Mitchell down during the incident, he told CNN.

He told police he was helping a guest with luggage on June 30 when he witnessed staff involved in a fight, adding he didn’t see what started the incident but was informed by a manager that Mitchell had locked himself in the bathroom with two women, according to the criminal complaint.

Williamson saw Mitchell trying to get back into the hotel while “being very forceful with the security guards,” he said, according to the complaint. He then saw Mitchell charging at the guards and witnessed the guards taking Mitchell outside, he said.

Like Erickson, Williamson told police Mitchell was “very strong” and refused to calm down as the staff members attempted to calm him.

“Williamson stated that he put his right knee on DM’s right arm, and Williamson put his left knee on the middle of DM’s back” as the group held Mitchell down on his stomach, the complaint says. “He stated that DM kept struggling and asking what (he did) wrong.”

Williamson said he saw Mitchell try to bite Erickson and saw Erickson hit Mitchell three times with a baton.

In Johnson-Carson’s statement to authorities, he said he told Williamson at one point “to stop applying pressure on (DM), at which point he finally withdrew his pressure,” the complaint states.

Williamson told detectives he got off of Mitchell and thought the man was still responsive. “However, ‘the next thing you know, I realized he was unconscious,’” the complaint states.

“I want the best outcome in this case, and the best outcome is for me to be acquitted of all charges,” Williamson told CNN. “And if these guys watch the video closely, I’m not involved in anything inside (the hotel).”

Brandon LaDaniel Turner, former security guard

Turner, 35, turned himself in August 8 and made his first court appearance later that morning, according to court records.

He remained in jail Monday on a $30,000 bond, court records show.

In a statement to CNN soon after Turner’s arrest, his attorney expressed disappointment in the decision to charge Turner. “However, we are confident he will be cleared of any wrongdoing,” lawyer Matt Last said.

The former security guard was off duty at the time of the incident and appeared to be the first of the four men charged to encounter Mitchell on June 30. Turner told authorities he “observed DM begging and harassing a guest of the hotel,” according to the criminal complaint.

In the complaint, Turner said he told Mitchell not to enter the hotel but saw him do so and beg for money. Mitchell “took off” toward the store in the hotel lobby after seeing Turner, the guard told detectives, adding he then saw Mitchell run toward the women’s restroom.

According to hotel security footage, Mitchell closed the restroom door and about five seconds later, a woman left the restroom in a hurry, the complaint states.

When she left, Turner entered and pulled Mitchell from the restroom, grabbed him by his shirt and started escorting him toward the hotel lobby, according to the complaint.

Turner told police Mitchell “swung on” him and hit him in the jaw. He says he “admitted to punching DM several times and DM fell to the ground,” the complaint states.

Once Mitchell was outside, Turner punched Mitchell six times including several blows while he is on his knees, the court document says, citing the video.

Mitchell got up and tried to reenter the hotel but was pushed back outside, where Turner, Johnson-Carson and Williamson surrounded him.

Erickson arrived and the four men tackled Mitchell in the driveway, the complaint states. Turner punched Mitchell three times, while Johnson-Carson did so once and Erickson kicked him in the torso, according to the complaint.

Security footage showed Turner made a call – later determined to be to 911 – while he and the other men held Mitchell down, the complaint states.

Devin W. Johnson-Carson, former front desk agent

Johnson-Carson, 23, worked at the Hyatt Regency hotel’s front desk for about two months before the incident, he told police, according to the criminal complaint.

He was booked on August 8 and released days later on $5,000 bond, according to court records.

Johnson-Carson told Milwaukee detectives his shift was ending on June 30 when he heard a male voice yelling from inside the hotel as he waited for a ride. Johnson-Carson “then heard the doors being forcibly pushed off their racks,” he said, according to the complaint.

He said he saw Turner fighting with Mitchell as Turner tried to push Mitchell, who Johnson-Carson said was yelling, outside, the complaint states.

“Johnson-Carson said he was aware that there were elderly people and children present, and that the staff on duty consisted of mostly women,” according to the complaint, which continues, “He also was aware that Turner was physically smaller than DM, so Johnson-Carson made the decision to intervene and help.”

In an attempt to prevent Mitchell from reentering the hotel, Johnson-Carson said he grabbed Mitchell, swept his legs and brought him to the ground, according to the document.

He said he threw a punch at Mitchell but pulled back because “he thought he shouldn’t punch the victim,” the complaint states. Hotel security footage appeared to show him striking Mitchell once with a closed fist, according to the document.

Erickson and Williamson responded after Mitchell was on the ground on his side, and Erickson decided the men needed to turn Mitchell onto his stomach, according to Johnson-Carson.

“Johnson-Carson thought this must be because the security guards had handcuffs,” the complaint states.

At one point, the former front desk agent told police he recalled holding onto Mitchell’s feet and could hear him groaning and saying, “Stop,” and “Why,” according to the complaint.

Johnson-Carson said he realized Mitchell was dead by the time police arrived, the document states.

In a July 8 sworn statement in an affidavit to the Mitchell family attorney, Johnson-Carson said he saw Mitchell show “clear signs of extreme distress, including gags, distressed breathing, and repeated pleas for help” during the June 30 incident, according to the complaint.

CNN’s Chris Boyette, Emma Tucker, Ray Sanchez, Raja Razek, Alisha Ebrahimji and Amy Simonson contributed to this report.

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