SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A suspect was charged in connection to a South Milwaukee double homicide that occurred on Thursday, Dec. 29. Authorities say three people were in a car when shots rang and gunfire flashed from inside. The suspect allegedly reached across the bodies and then got out of the vehicle.
A Franklin High School senior and MATC student were found shot and killed in a car in South Milwaukee, according to family and authorities. South Milwaukee police said in an update Wednesday that 22-year-old Brandon J. Randall is facing two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of felon in possession of firearm charges.
Randall was arrested by South Milwaukee officers on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in the City of Milwaukee. Several firearms were recovered. The case was referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. The charges were then issued Wednesday.
Police say Randall was an acquaintance of at least one of the victims. The motive remains unknown.
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South Milwaukee police responded to 5th and Bay Heights on Dec. 29 after an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were found dead in a car. The victims were identified as Jaelen Yracheta and Ava Allen. They were first cousins. Allen was a senior at Franklin High School and Yracheta was a 2022 South Milwaukee High School graduate and a student at MATC. The family previously told TMJ4 News that Yracheta's mother found them at the scene.
According to a criminal complaint released Wednesday, investigators recovered five 9mm casings from the scene. Police obtained doorbell video which allegedly showed the suspect, Randall, walking towards the car with a limp. Randall is shown reaching out to grab the passenger door handle before pausing and entering the back passenger door. The complaint says Randall was wearing a COVID-19-style mask and white/clear latex gloves. Ten seconds later, multiple gunshots are heard and flashes are seen in the car. After remaining in the car for a minute, the complaint says Randall reached over the motionless bodies of the victims before getting out of the car.
A day after the shooting, Yracheta's iPhone was found in a sewer close to where the homicides occurred. The last messages showed Yracheta texting a number and arranging to meet the person. The complaint says the number Yracheta was texting connected to an IP address that Randall lived at.
The complaint says Randall was shot in his left foot a month prior to the double homicide, which is consistent with the suspect in the doorbell video walking with a limp.
After Randall's arrest, the complaint says investigators conducted an interview with him over the course of eight hours. While discussing the incident, Randall allegedly said, "Well (explicit), can't make it right, it already done." He then told investigators he didn't remember committing the crime, but when he closed his eyes he saw flashes and "regular Jaelen with a smile, that's it."
The complaint said when asked which gun was used, Randall answered "Glock 17, the police edition." When shown the doorbell video, Randall allegedly stated, "I'm gone for the rest of my life bro." He then called his girlfriend and said, "It's over, they showed me everything - told me everything. And they showed me the video, I don't remember doing it bro." The complaint says he was having difficulty talking because he was crying.
A firearm analyst determined on Tuesday, Jan. 17 that the Glock 17 pistol Randall admitted to possessing was the firearm used to commit the homicides.
He was previously convicted in 2018 of robbery with the use of force. Randall appeared in court Thursday where his bail was set at $500,000 cash and his preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 25 at 1:30 p.m.
