MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother wants things to change inside the juvenile court system after her son was killed by a 14-year-old boy in a police chase.
She thinks her son would still be alive today if a judge decided things differently, but her frustrations don’t end there.
"That was not justice, not for my son,” Dottie Hacket said.
Hacket keeps his pictures on her mantel. They’re a constant reminder of the life her son Marquis lived and what he sadly left behind.
"He took a father, he took a brother, he took a son, he took a friend,” she said.
Marquis was heading home from a date with his girlfriend in January 2023. Surveillance video captured the crash that killed him.
Children’s court records show the driver who caused the crash was an underage teen fleeing police in a stolen car.
He was charged with five felony counts, including second-degree reckless homicide, armed robbery, and fleeing an officer resulting in death just to name a few.
The district attorney’s office says because of his age and the facts of the case, it had to start in juvenile court. But prosecutors wanted the teen waived into adult court. The D.A.’s office says the judge denied that request.
"I think the whole frickin' system needs to be reevaluated and realigned because the consequences for certain actions are definitely not enough."
“What angered you more, learning this 14-year-old wasn’t going to be waived into adult court, or the sentence? A maximum of five years confinement.” Jordan asked.
“To think that my son’s life was worth a year or two hurts the hell out of me. It’s shameful. It really is,” Hacket replied.
Court records show the child was placed in what’s called the Serious Juvenile Offender Program, which is the harshest consequence in children’s court in Wisconsin. It comes with up to five years in the state’s custody. A defense attorney says the child could be released in as little as one year with good behavior and progress, but he says that is unlikely in this case.
Hackett says she was even more frustrated when she learned the teen was charged with nearly identical crimes in children’s court just months before he killed her son. Those counts included armed robbery and fleeing police in a stolen car. Court records show in that case, the D.A.’s office twice requested the teen be kept in custody. Both times, the judge said no.
He was released by the court. Just two weeks before the deadly crash, court documents show he failed to appear for a hearing.
"Something's got to give,” Hacket said. “Somebody's got to wake up and somebody's got to do something about it."
We asked the judge who presided over this case for an interview, but she declined. So we requested transcripts and audio recordings from hearings in which critical decisions were made, but the court has yet to provide them.
"It's sort of a balancing test as to whether it's serious enough to require sending to adult court or whether the juvenile court system can be adequate,” said criminal defense attorney Jonathan LaVoy.
We wanted to hear two other perspectives on the case and the consequences. First from a criminal defense attorney.
LaVoy has no connection to this case, but he has represented dozens of children accused of serious crimes in juvenile court.
"In this case, the court was very, very harsh on the child believe it or not,” LaVoy said. "This does appear to be an unfair outcome to somebody who's lost a loved one, but we have to weigh that against locking up children as a matter of course. We have to sort of balance it to determine what is best for our community. We can't simply lock up every single child that commits a crime, even children that commit serious crimes."
Retired Children’s Court Judge Dennis Cimpl shared the same sentiment.
"I assume that there was evidence that said we can treat this kid,” he said.
Cimpl says if this mother wants reform, it has to come from lawmakers in Madison.
"It's the juvenile justice system if anything that's soft on crime, not the judge,” he said. “It's the system because the judge has to obey chapter 938. And the thing is brought into court and let's face it, you talk about a felony that might be a 30-year or a 40-year felony. In juvenile court, it's basically a two-year felony."
Hacket says her fight for change is far from over.
"I think the parameters or whatever the judges use in determining, it has to be the rules or whatever sentencing guidelines that the judges have, I think they should be reevaluated,” she said.
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