MILWAUKEE, WI – Four employees of a Milwaukee hotel were charged with felony murder on Tuesday in relation to the death of D’Vontaye Mitchell, a Black man. The case has drawn parallels to the 2020 death of George Floyd, whose murder at the hands of a white police officer ignited nationwide protests and a broader conversation about race relations in the United States.
The individuals charged include hotel security guard Todd Erickson, front desk worker Devin Johnson-Carson, bellhop Herbert Williamson, and another security guard, Brandon Turner. If found guilty, each could face a maximum sentence of 15 years and nine months in prison. Erickson, when contacted for a comment, deferred to his attorney, Michael Steinle, who did not respond to voicemail or email messages. It remains unclear whether the other three accused have legal representation.
The charges stem from an incident on June 30, when Mitchell was forcibly removed from the Hyatt Hotel after entering a woman’s restroom. According to the criminal complaint, the four employees held Mitchell on his stomach for approximately eight or nine minutes. During this time, Mitchell attempted to break free multiple times, and was struck with a baton by one of the employees before he eventually stopped moving.
The complaint also states that Mitchell, who was morbidly obese and had ingested cocaine and methamphetamine, was having difficulty breathing and repeatedly asked for help. Surveillance footage from the hotel shows Mitchell running into the lobby and then into a gift shop before entering the women’s restroom. Shortly after, Turner, who was off-duty but visiting the hotel, dragged Mitchell out of the restroom and into the lobby.
A struggle ensued, during which Turner punched Mitchell, knocking him to the floor. Turner, along with Williamson, Johnson-Carson, and Erickson, then held Mitchell down on his stomach for eight to nine minutes until police and emergency responders arrived. A witness’s video includes audio of Mitchell moaning and apologizing. The county medical examiner determined that Mitchell died of “restraint asphyxia” and suggested that he might have survived if the employees had allowed him to turn onto his side.
The employees told investigators that they believed Mitchell was under the influence of drugs and was not in a stable state of mind. They also claimed that Mitchell was resisting them and even tried to bite one of them. However, the complaint concludes that the employees must have known Mitchell was in distress, as he displayed clear signs of extreme distress, including gasping, distressed breathing, and repeated pleas for help.
Mitchell’s family and their lawyers, who had previously reviewed hotel surveillance video provided by the district attorney’s office, described seeing Mitchell being chased inside the hotel by security guards and then dragged outside, where he was beaten. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is part of a team of lawyers representing Mitchell’s family, said a bystander’s video shows security guards with their knees on Mitchell’s back and neck.
DeAsia Harmon, Mitchell’s widow, expressed relief at the charges but questioned why it took weeks for them to be filed. Aimbridge Hospitality, the company that manages the hotel, said several employees involved in Mitchell’s death have been fired. The company pledged full cooperation with law enforcement and prosecutors, expressing sympathy for Mitchell’s family and loved ones as the case proceeds.