In the cold of a Milwaukee winter, on January 23, 2022, the life of 44-year-old Donta Michael Williams, a Black/African American male, was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence that claimed the lives of five other individuals. The discovery was made at a residence near 21st and Wright streets when police conducted a welfare check, initially finding five victims. A sixth victim, another male, was found shortly after.
All six, including Donta Williams, had sustained injuries from gunfire.
Among the deceased were Michelle Williams, 49, and Donald Smith, 43, who lived in the home with Donta. The other victims were identified as Charles Hardy, 42, Caleb Jordan, 23, and Javoni Liddell, 31. Those who knew Donta remembered him as a man who prioritized his family, a man who was actively planning his daughter's 16th birthday. His focus was on his home, his wife, and his children.
The investigation into the mass homicide led authorities to a suspect, 34-year-old Travis Lamar Birkley. In early June 2022, Birkley was charged with six counts of felony murder in connection with the deaths. According to the criminal complaint, a confidential informant revealed that the incident was a "robbery gone wrong." Birkley, who had reportedly worked security for drug dealings that occurred at the residence, had allegedly planned to rob Donta with his cousin.
The situation escalated when Donta's wife, Michelle, attempted to intervene to protect her husband. The complaint alleges that Birkley then shot Michelle, followed by Donta. To eliminate any witnesses, Birkley and his cousin then allegedly shot three other people who were in the basement of the house. When Donald Smith walked in after hearing the gunshots, he too was fatally shot. Investigators found casings from two different guns at the scene, suggesting the presence of two shooters. Birkley’s cousin was not immediately identified or charged.
Evidence against Birkley included a selfie he had reportedly taken in the basement where three of the victims were found, in which he was wearing Donta Williams' glasses. Cell phone records also placed Birkley in the vicinity of the home at the time the murders were believed to have occurred. Further implicating him, a 911 call made about 12 hours before the bodies were discovered, reporting a shooting with multiple victims, was traced back to a number connected to Birkley. A woman at the home where the phone was found admitted that Birkley had instructed her to make the call and told her what to say. Birkley was held on a $1 million cash bail and, if convicted, faces the possibility of spending up to 330 years in prison.
