On a cold January evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the life of Marko D. Stennis, a 37-year-old Black male, was tragically cut short. On January 20, 2020, Stennis, accompanied by his wife, drove to the 3800 block of North 24th Place with the understanding that he would be collecting money that was owed to him. His wife, seated in the passenger seat of their vehicle, was a witness to the events that would unfold with devastating consequences.
A man, later identified as 23-year-old Deon
Staten, entered the back seat of Stennis's vehicle. The initial arrangement, as told by Staten to investigators, was a pretext for a robbery that he and his cousin had planned. Stennis, it seemed, was being set up to be robbed of either drugs or money. The situation inside the car quickly escalated. According to Stennis's wife, after a brief drive to an ATM and a return to the initial location, Staten re-entered the vehicle and announced, "Give it up." She recalled hearing several gunshots after seeing her husband turn toward the back seat.
Staten's account to the police detailed a struggle that he claimed began when Stennis, realizing it was a robbery, brandished a firearm. Staten alleged that Stennis shot him first in the buttocks, prompting him to return fire three times. Authorities found Marko D. Stennis in the driver's seat with a fatal gunshot wound to his head. Inside the vehicle, investigators discovered a gun, drugs, and three bullet casings, located in a manner consistent with the shooter having been in the back passenger seat.
Deon Staten fled the scene but was later apprehended. His confession to his involvement in the homicide was part of a larger investigation into a series of violent crimes he had committed. Staten was also charged with the murder of another man, JaShawn Bell, in a separate incident just months prior, as well as an armed robbery. He ultimately pleaded guilty to felony murder and second-degree reckless homicide for the two killings. As a result of a plea deal, other charges against him were dismissed, and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, with 17 years of extended supervision to follow.
