A man with a homicide charge pending in connection to the death of a man in a liquor store last year now faces four new charges for attempting to have witnesses to that homicide killed, according to online court records.
DeAndre Williams, 22, was charged with first degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon for killing Romell Campbell, 41, at a West Capital Drive liquor store in September 2024.
A criminal complaint in the liquor store case suggests Williams lashed out, making comments about a close friend — 17-year-old Javontae Davis who was shot and killed earlier that week — before striking and shooting Campbell.
According to another criminal complaint filed July 3, a man incarcerated in the Milwaukee County Criminal Justice Facility told investigators from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office earlier this month that Williams had made efforts to have witnesses to his charged homicide “killed or intimidated.”
During the time Williams and the unnamed inmate were living in the same pod in the jail, Williams told the inmate details about the homicide he was charged with, and a desire to harm the witnesses on his case, according to the complaint.
The inmate, who said he has known Williams for 10 years, said Williams asked him to harm the witnesses when he was released from jail, including Davis’ girlfriend, who Williams believed identified him to law enforcement, according to the complaint.
Williams provided a list of the witnesses to the inmate shortly before June 10, according to the complaint.
The investigators obtained this list, which includes the names of 10 people, and addresses for eight of them, according to the complaint. An investigator confirmed the information on the list supposedly given to the inmate match names and addresses of witnesses in police reports written on the homicide for which Williams was charged.
The complaint notes the inmate said that he was providing the information on Williams’ alleged plot to the investigators in hopes that he would get consideration in the criminal case pending against him.
Williams was arrested on the homicide charge in February, and initially pled not guilty to the charges. In May, he modified his plea to an NGI plea — not guilty by mental disease or defect. A doctor filed a report on Williams’ mental status on July 3, and a court date to evaluate the report is scheduled for July 25.
Williams was charged this week on four counts of soliciting first degree intentional homicide in connection to the threats to witnesses in the homicide case. If tried and convicted of these charges, he could face a maximum combined penalty of 50 years in prison.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man arrested for 2024 homicide accused of plotting to kill witnesses