MILWAUKEE — A suspect in last week's hit-and-run crash that killed two young girls made his first appearance in court.
19-year-old Daetwan Robinson took his seat in the courtroom Wednesday morning not to be criminally charged, rather for the state to request more time to gather evidence.
"It is very clear what we should be determining here is whether or not there is reason to believe or probable cause to believe additional evidence can be found within the next 72 hours," said prosecutor Karl Hayes.
Hayes said they're awaiting autopsy results in the death of 4-year-old Amea Gee. Last Thursday's crash at 22nd and Center has now claimed the lives of both Amea and her older sister Alisa. Their 10-year-old cousin was seriously hurt.
The state is also awaiting Robinson's cell phone records which could show his exact location at the time of the crash.
"There does appear to be efforts that are alleged that Mr. Robinson tried to avoid detection by painting the car and hiding the vehicle to certain extent," said court commissioner Rosa Barillas.
Lastly, police investigators are still sifting through thousands of Robinson's social media posts.
Attorney Jeff Schwarz argued that Robinson should be released from jail until possible charges are determined.
"We're dealing with a person with no criminal record, who's lived in Milwaukee most of his life," Schwarz said.
Robinson was prominently featured in The Washington Post on the morning of the crash for his work with a group called 'Black Leaders Organizing for Community' known as B.L.O.C. The Milwaukee organization even featured Robinson on their Facebook page earlier this month as 'Ambassador of the Week' for efforts to get north-side residents registered to vote.
B.L.O.C. administrators declined to comment, but Mayor Tom Barrett spoke with us Wednesday afternoon.
"This is about personal responsibility, the person who drove that car made a decision," Barrett said. "It underscores just how important it is that we change the driving habbits of people in this city who don't care about other peoples' lives."
TODAY'S TMJ4 spoke with Robinson's mother on the phone Wednesday afternoon. She said she's praying for the victim's family.
The court commissioner granted prosecutors another three days to present charges. Robinson is being held on a $750,000 bond.
