DANE COUNTY | 2017 HOMICIDE
Anna Hansen
Cellphone tower data and an emergency room physician’s testimony were among evidence presented by the prosecution Tuesday, the second day of the jury trial of Tyrese Roland, who is charged with homicide in the 2017 shooting death of a 25-year-old Madison man.
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2 charged with alleged roles in 2017 homicide on Madison's Far East Side
- Ed Treleven | Wisconsin State Journal
Roland, 35, was charged in 2022 with first-degree intentional homicide and possessing a firearm as a felon in the June 2017 killing of Jameel Easter, which stemmed from a fight outside a Downtown Madison bar, according to a criminal complaint.
In a separate case, Johnny Booth, 52, is charged with harboring or aiding a felon.
Just before 3:30 a.m. June 10, Easter was shot multiple times in a Vernon Avenue parking lot outside an apartment building on Madison’s Far East Side. He died of his injuries about half an hour later at Meriter Hospital. In testimony Tuesday, an emergency room doctor who treated Easter in the moments after his arrival described 40 minutes of fruitless attempts to revive Easter, telling the court that Easter had been “essentially dead” on arrival.
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In the hours leading up to the shooting, Downtown surveillance footage captured a large group of people involved in a fight. Police reviewed the security video from in front of the Double U bar, 620 University Ave., and saw Roland with Booth nearby. The two also were seen on video entering and then leaving the State Street Campus Garage one after the other, Booth driving an Illinois rental vehicle and Roland in a white truck.
At the shooting scene, police found Easter’s unoccupied Chrysler 300 with two bullet holes in the car’s passenger side window, which appeared to have been caused by 90-degree impacts. Two bullet casings were found outside the car, and others were found nearby.
Investigators placed Roland at the fight and the Vernon Avenue shooting through cellphone tower data, which Assistant District Attorney Annie Jay presented in court Tuesday for the prosecution.
A witness who drove Easter to the hospital after the shooting identified Roland from a photo lineup, but the witness said the shooter’s name was Tyrese Sanders.
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Madison police personnel, the doctor who treated Easter, and members of the group involved in the fight testified Monday and Tuesday, their recollections supplemented by surveillance footage. A camera at Meriter Hospital captured video footage of a friend carrying Easter in, covered in his blood.
“I always heard people talk about dead weight. Jameel felt like he was 400 pounds. He was a small guy,” that friend recalled on the witness stand Tuesday. Apart from brief statements, the witness said he initially avoided police contact for fear of being a “snitch.” He said he spoke to police in the months after Easter’s death because he wanted “the truth to come out.” About five months later, the witness told officers that Roland had shot Easter.
“I’ve always been honest — I just didn’t want to testify,” he said. “I never lost nobody that close like that. I had a different outlook on life when Jameel died.”
On cross examination, defense attorney Schuyler Boggio quoted that witness’s statement to police, pointing out that the witness made remarks about speaking to law enforcement in exchange for getting out of the probation hold he was on at the time. The witness denied that was his motivation for identifying Roland to police.
Boggio also pointed out inconsistencies in the witness’s statements identifying Roland — the witness said he’d recognized Roland’s black clothes and “lazy eye” but had also mentioned being unable to see the shooter, and, in another instance, the shooter wearing gray pants.
The prosecution is scheduled to continue its case Wednesday morning.
David D. Edwards
David D. Edwards
Age:31
Date of death:March 1, 2017
Circumstances:A gunman approached a car at a Mobil gas station on East Washington Avenue at 2 a.m. and fired multiple shots into the car, hitting Edwards.
Suspects:On April 23, 2018, Jordan L. Sharlow was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after authorities say he fatally shot Edwards in a case of mistaken identity. Dontae Collins was charged with harboring or aiding a felon in the homicide.
"He didn't like others arguing...(he) was a loving and caring father, friend, and a happy person that kept others laughing."
--Rashedia Johnson, Edwards' fiancee, mother of his three children
Andrew G. Nesbitt
Andrew G. Nesbitt
Age:46
Date of death:March 27, 2017
Circumstances:Nesbitt was stabbed to death in his Downtown apartment, suffering 76 knife wounds. He was found dead on his 46th birthday.
Suspects:Darrick E. Anderson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Jan. 4, 2018, after a jury found him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and did not find that he was suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time of the homicide.
"Drew Nesbitt was an inspirational light-force."
--Kathy Flores, statewide anti-violence coordinator for the LGBT advocacy group Diverse & Resilient
Michael Meaderds
Michael Meaderds
Age:33
Date of death:May 30, 2017
Circumstances:Meaderds was shot and killed on the North Side after attempting to flee his assailants, who had robbed his apartment. His girlfriend and child were present during the robbery.
Suspects:Odum L. Carter pleaded guilty to felony murder on May 11, 2018, and Devon L. Davis pleaded guilty to armed robbery on May 18, 2018. Emmanuel J. Johnson is scheduled for trial on charges of felony murder and armed robbery in October, and Steven T. Johnson is scheduled for trail on charges of felony murder and armed robbery in November.
"He was a great man and a great father to his kids."
-- Jessica Marias, Meaderds' fiancee
Jameel Easter
Jameel Easter
Age:25
Date of death:June 10, 2017
Circumstances:Easter was shot multiple times in a parking lot on the Far East Side. He died later that day at a hospital. Police believe the shooting was connected to a fight that happened earlier that evening in front of bars on University Avenue. At a vigil in memory of Easter, several shots were fired by a passing car.
Suspects:None
"They were living together, they were madly in love with each other and they had a beautiful baby together."
-- Michael Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, speaking of Easter and his girlfriend, Rayanna Thigpen
Gerald F. Moore
Gerald F. Moore
Age:52
Date of death:June 24, 2017
Circumstances:Moore got in a fight with his roommate, who stabbed him to death. The two, who lived on the South Side, were in a "domestic relationship," police said.
Suspects:Ronald Redeaux was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, but the case was suspended in January 2018 after Redeaux was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to be treated. He is scheduled for another competency hearing on June 4.
"(Jerry) was the best cook...everyone would call on him to do the cooking at family gatherings. When it came to soul food, no one could touch him...(he) had a good heart."
-- Velvet R. Moore-Owen, Moore's sister.
Christ E. Kneubuehl
Christ E. Kneubuehl
Age:56
Date of death:June 27, 2017
Circumstances:Kneubuehl, a contractor, was doing construction work with other contractors on a Culver's on Madison's South Side when two men broke into the restaurant. Kneubuehl helped the two suspects break into a safe, and then suffered a heart attack. One of the suspects refused to allow the other crew members to call an ambulance.
Suspects:Xavier Fleming and Nicholas Ivy have been charged with felony murder, armed robbery and false imprisonment in Kneubuehl's death. Both pleaded not guilty and have trials scheduled for November.
"He was a bigger-than-life guy, a really strong man with a big heart, but in the end, all of what happened was just too much for him."
-- Tom Kneubuehl, the victim's brother
Kub Herr
Kub Herr
Age:30
Date of death:July 2, 2017
Circumstances:After an argument on Madison's North Side, a man shot Herr to death and then turned the gun on himself.
Suspects:Ger Lee, 35, died two days after the incident from his self-inflicted injury.
"If he could help people out, he would ... . He was just overall a good person."
-- Julie Herr, Herr's sister
Riccardo C. Simms
Riccardo C. Simms
Age:29
Date of death:July 25, 2017
Circumstances:Simms was shot in his car on Madison's Southwest Side.
Suspects:According to a criminal complaint filed in the homicide of David D. Edwards, an acquaintance of brothers Jordan L. Sharlow and Justin Sharlow said the brothers killed Simms. No one has yet been charged in Simms' death, although, Jordan is charged in the Edwards homicide, and Justin has been charged for a homicide in Chicago.
"He was a wonderful and great father. He lived his life wanting a better life for me and his girls."
-- Shada Lincoln, Simms' girlfriend and mother of his two daughters
Ciara Philumalee
Ciara Philumalee
Age:24
Date of death:July 28, 2017
Circumstances:Philumalee and a 44-year-old man were shot on Madison's North Side. Philumalee died later at a hospital. The man suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Suspects:Donald Davis Jr., Nicole M. Marco, Jennifer L. Lovick, and Korey V. Johnson were all charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless injury. Davis has a trial scheduled for June, Marco a trial in July and Lovick a trial in August. Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide on May 29, 2018.
"You could tell that she was loved. It's a very tragic situation."
-- Michael Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Kendrith Young
Age:33
Date of death:Aug. 2, 2017
Circumstances:Young was shot multiple times in front of a 7-Eleven store on Madison's South Side.A second man was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.
Suspects:Curtis Langlois was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole for killing Young, who Langlois said looked at him the wrong way. A second suspect, Dametrius Reeves, is scheduled for trail on charges of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide in December.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and staff member. He will be sorely missed."
-- Alethea Rowe,The Cheesecake Factory, where Young worked
Lee Anne Pirus
- MADISON POLICE
Lee Anne Pirus
Age:50
Date of death:Unknown; likelysometime between March and September 2017.
Circumstances:Pirus' husband, Steven, shot and killed Lee Anne sometime earlier in the year and then blew up their Southwest Side home on Sept. 13.
Suspect:Steven Pirus was sentenced in April 2018 to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree intentional homicide.
A roster of Madison's homicide victims of 2017
David D. Edwards
David D. Edwards
Age:31
Date of death:March 1, 2017
Circumstances:A gunman approached a car at a Mobil gas station on East Washington Avenue at 2 a.m. and fired multiple shots into the car, hitting Edwards.
Suspects:On April 23, 2018, Jordan L. Sharlow was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after authorities say he fatally shot Edwards in a case of mistaken identity. Dontae Collins was charged with harboring or aiding a felon in the homicide.
"He didn't like others arguing...(he) was a loving and caring father, friend, and a happy person that kept others laughing."
--Rashedia Johnson, Edwards' fiancee, mother of his three children
Andrew G. Nesbitt
Andrew G. Nesbitt
Age:46
Date of death:March 27, 2017
Circumstances:Nesbitt was stabbed to death in his Downtown apartment, suffering 76 knife wounds. He was found dead on his 46th birthday.
Suspects:Darrick E. Anderson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Jan. 4, 2018, after a jury found him guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and did not find that he was suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time of the homicide.
"Drew Nesbitt was an inspirational light-force."
--Kathy Flores, statewide anti-violence coordinator for the LGBT advocacy group Diverse & Resilient
Michael Meaderds
Michael Meaderds
Age:33
Date of death:May 30, 2017
Circumstances:Meaderds was shot and killed on the North Side after attempting to flee his assailants, who had robbed his apartment. His girlfriend and child were present during the robbery.
Suspects:Odum L. Carter pleaded guilty to felony murder on May 11, 2018, and Devon L. Davis pleaded guilty to armed robbery on May 18, 2018. Emmanuel J. Johnson is scheduled for trial on charges of felony murder and armed robbery in October, and Steven T. Johnson is scheduled for trail on charges of felony murder and armed robbery in November.
"He was a great man and a great father to his kids."
-- Jessica Marias, Meaderds' fiancee
Jameel Easter
Jameel Easter
Age:25
Date of death:June 10, 2017
Circumstances:Easter was shot multiple times in a parking lot on the Far East Side. He died later that day at a hospital. Police believe the shooting was connected to a fight that happened earlier that evening in front of bars on University Avenue. At a vigil in memory of Easter, several shots were fired by a passing car.
Suspects:None
"They were living together, they were madly in love with each other and they had a beautiful baby together."
-- Michael Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, speaking of Easter and his girlfriend, Rayanna Thigpen
Gerald F. Moore
Gerald F. Moore
Age:52
Date of death:June 24, 2017
Circumstances:Moore got in a fight with his roommate, who stabbed him to death. The two, who lived on the South Side, were in a "domestic relationship," police said.
Suspects:Ronald Redeaux was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, but the case was suspended in January 2018 after Redeaux was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to be treated. He is scheduled for another competency hearing on June 4.
"(Jerry) was the best cook...everyone would call on him to do the cooking at family gatherings. When it came to soul food, no one could touch him...(he) had a good heart."
-- Velvet R. Moore-Owen, Moore's sister.
Christ E. Kneubuehl
Christ E. Kneubuehl
Age:56
Date of death:June 27, 2017
Circumstances:Kneubuehl, a contractor, was doing construction work with other contractors on a Culver's on Madison's South Side when two men broke into the restaurant. Kneubuehl helped the two suspects break into a safe, and then suffered a heart attack. One of the suspects refused to allow the other crew members to call an ambulance.
Suspects:Xavier Fleming and Nicholas Ivy have been charged with felony murder, armed robbery and false imprisonment in Kneubuehl's death. Both pleaded not guilty and have trials scheduled for November.
"He was a bigger-than-life guy, a really strong man with a big heart, but in the end, all of what happened was just too much for him."
-- Tom Kneubuehl, the victim's brother
Kub Herr
Kub Herr
Age:30
Date of death:July 2, 2017
Circumstances:After an argument on Madison's North Side, a man shot Herr to death and then turned the gun on himself.
Suspects:Ger Lee, 35, died two days after the incident from his self-inflicted injury.
"If he could help people out, he would ... . He was just overall a good person."
-- Julie Herr, Herr's sister
Riccardo C. Simms
Riccardo C. Simms
Age:29
Date of death:July 25, 2017
Circumstances:Simms was shot in his car on Madison's Southwest Side.
Suspects:According to a criminal complaint filed in the homicide of David D. Edwards, an acquaintance of brothers Jordan L. Sharlow and Justin Sharlow said the brothers killed Simms. No one has yet been charged in Simms' death, although, Jordan is charged in the Edwards homicide, and Justin has been charged for a homicide in Chicago.
"He was a wonderful and great father. He lived his life wanting a better life for me and his girls."
-- Shada Lincoln, Simms' girlfriend and mother of his two daughters
Ciara Philumalee
Ciara Philumalee
Age:24
Date of death:July 28, 2017
Circumstances:Philumalee and a 44-year-old man were shot on Madison's North Side. Philumalee died later at a hospital. The man suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Suspects:Donald Davis Jr., Nicole M. Marco, Jennifer L. Lovick, and Korey V. Johnson were all charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless injury. Davis has a trial scheduled for June, Marco a trial in July and Lovick a trial in August. Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide on May 29, 2018.
"You could tell that she was loved. It's a very tragic situation."
-- Michael Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Kendrith Young
Age:33
Date of death:Aug. 2, 2017
Circumstances:Young was shot multiple times in front of a 7-Eleven store on Madison's South Side.A second man was hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.
Suspects:Curtis Langlois was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole for killing Young, who Langlois said looked at him the wrong way. A second suspect, Dametrius Reeves, is scheduled for trail on charges of first-degree intentional homicide and attempted homicide in December.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and staff member. He will be sorely missed."
-- Alethea Rowe,The Cheesecake Factory, where Young worked
Lee Anne Pirus
- MADISON POLICE
Lee Anne Pirus
Age:50
Date of death:Unknown; likelysometime between March and September 2017.
Circumstances:Pirus' husband, Steven, shot and killed Lee Anne sometime earlier in the year and then blew up their Southwest Side home on Sept. 13.
Suspect:Steven Pirus was sentenced in April 2018 to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree intentional homicide.
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