MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother says the juvenile justice system failed her every step of the way.
“Something should be changed to ensure this doesn’t happen to another family,” said Dorothy Hacket.
We first introduced you to Hacket last year after her son, Marquis, was killed by a 14-year-old fleeing police.
Just nine months after that teen was sentenced, Hacket was furious to learn he was being released back into the community. TMJ4 is not naming the teen in this case because he wasn’t charged as an adult.
Watch: Mother furious teen who killed her son is being released 9 months after sentence
Hacket contacted our Lighthouse team because she wants this decision to be exposed.
District attorney documents obtained by TMJ4 show the underage teen in this case was sentenced to what’s called the Serious Juvenile Offender Program.
It comes with up to five years of confinement, but as little as one year.
Ultimately, with time served ahead of sentencing, the teen was kept in a corrections facility for about a year and a half. Hacket thinks that’s far too short.
“Dear Dorothy, this letter is to inform you that the teen will be released from a juvenile correction facility by the Office of Juvenile Offender Review,” Hacket read.
This letter from the Department of Corrections was the last straw for Hacket.
“I was so angry that you can kill someone and, if you’re underage, the system is just going to turn its head and look away.”
Hacket says her family has been living a nightmare ever since her son was killed in January 2023.
Marquis was heading home from a date with his girlfriend that night. He was killed by a 14-year-old fleeing police after committing an armed robbery and stealing a car with other teens.
“It still seems like yesterday,” said Marquis’ daughter, Lexxus. “I still haven’t adjusted. I still don’t know how to move forward.”
Lexxus and Dorothy followed the children’s court process from start to finish.
“The psychologist evaluated this young man and said that he was very immature and the likelihood of him maturing wouldn’t be until he was in his 20s,” Hacket said. “He’s 16 now, but he knows what he did. That’s absurd. It’s truly absurd.”
The teen was charged with five felonies, including second-degree reckless homicide.
Due to his age and the allegations, prosecutors say the case had to start in children’s court. The district attorney’s office told TMJ4 that the judge denied their request to have the teen waived into adult court.
Hacket was shocked to learn the teen was charged with nearly identical crimes just months before the crash, including armed robbery and fleeing police in a stolen car. The D.A.’s office twice requested the teen be kept in custody, but the children’s court judge said no both times.
“At this point, it hurts, but somebody needs to bring it to the attention of the world that we need to change something,” Hacket said.
While Hacket remains frustrated with the juvenile court judge’s decisions, she says the Department of Corrections is responsible for her latest heartache.
“If it would have been his first offense, I would have said, ‘OK, I can see giving him a break,’ but this was his third offense,” Hacket said. “He had been given a couple of breaks. And you can’t tell me that he was rehabilitated in nine months.”
TMJ4 asked the Department of Corrections what went into its decision to release this teen from Lincoln Hills. A spokesperson said, “The Department of Corrections cannot comment on juvenile cases.”
The letter Hacket received says the teen is being sent to either a foster home, group home, or a child-caring institution where he will be supervised in the community.
Jonathan LaVoy is a criminal defense attorney who has represented teens in juvenile court. He says the juvenile justice system in Wisconsin is designed for rehabilitation, not punishment.
“An adult who would have committed a similar crime would be facing significant time in the Wisconsin state prison system,” LaVoy said. “They would be required to serve every single day of their sentence—maybe 10-plus years in prison with no possibility of parole or early release. In the juvenile court system, they can be released from that program if they meet certain program milestones.”
TMJ4 wanted to find out what a lawmaker on the state legislature’s corrections committee thinks about this case.
“What would you say to the Department of Corrections and the staff who made this decision?” reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“What in the world were you thinking?” Representative Jerry O’Connor replied.
O’Connor says it makes him want to rework state law.
“This can’t continue,” he said. “In this case, I think there are some legitimate legal changes that can be made by statute to give authority to better implement consequences for the actions of individuals.”
O’Connor is considering multiple avenues to try to address juveniles sentenced to the Serious Juvenile Offender Program.
He thinks the judge who presided over the case should have some say in when the teen is released. Currently, the state’s Department of Corrections makes that decision.
O’Connor says another change could be having homicide cases automatically start in adult court as long as the suspect is a teen.
“If it’s a murder, if it’s a Class One felony, I think we should move to adult court, and I’ll tell you why,” he said. “Because it will make other kids think that’s not a good move; I’ll pay a high price if I go ahead and take someone’s life or just foolishly act in a way that takes someone’s life.”
Hacket’s biggest fear is that another family will have to face the same pain her family suffers every day.
“Our state needs to wake up,” she said. “We need to change something.”
The Department of Corrections letter Hacket received says the teen is set to be released next week. Hacket says she plans to ask the D.A.’s office to appeal the decision.
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