MILWAUKEE — Four people are now charged in what a Milwaukee County court commissioner calls "the most heinous case" of her career.
15-year-old Makai Kenith Neal was found dead on Monday, February 10 inside a stolen burned out car near 26th and Locust.
He wasn't identified by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office until a week later, on February 17 using dental records, with his death being ruled a homicide.
According to a criminal complaint, police said the homicide revolved around an allegedly stolen firearm.
One of the suspects, Charles Roby, 21, appeared in court Monday and was ordered held on a half-million-dollar bond.
Court records indicate Roby is a convicted felon and was out on $1,500 cash bail, with conditions that he not possess any firearms and not commit any new crimes at the time of the homicide.
Prosecutors say Roby shot Makai eight times, allegedly using a firearm that had a “switch,” which turns a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic handgun, as he was calling a relative to come pick him up.
Prosecutors say Makai had asked to be taken to the hospital, but instead of being taken to the hospital, the complaint alleges Roby said he had to “finish [the victim] off cause he was gonna tell on [him] if [he] took him to the hospital.”
Prosecutors then said the car was set on fire to cover up the homicide.
The complaint details that police executed a search warrant on one of the suspect's residence on Feb. 19 and found a programmable key fob consistent with the type that could be used to steal the vehicle the teen was found in, along with a black Smith & Wesson Shield 9mm semi-automatic firearm on the bed in one of the suspects' bedroom.
The other three charged in connection with the homicide—DJ Chandler, 24; Shatianna Williams, 21; and Shatise Williams, 39—were identified through interviews, phone records, and security video.
They are expected in court soon.
On Saturday, February 22, family, friends, and community members gathered at Hart Park to honor Neal.
Watch previous coverage: Vigil held for boy found dead in car fire:
Neal's youth football coach, Calvin Sherrod of MVO Game Changers — a youth football organization — has known Neal for four years.
“Makai had that gift. He was just a special kid — like a magnet. Even when he wasn’t feeling confident, he was still a leader,” Sherrod said.
Many on Saturday remembered Neal as a star football player, proudly wearing the number eight and hoping to make it in the big leagues.
“He had offer letters to be a quarterback at very prestigious schools,” Montreal Cain, Neal’s mentor, shared.
Cain, the executive director of MERA Cares, also knew Neal off the field.
“Makai attended church with us, he did community service with us, he was learning multimedia, he was a dynamic child,” Cain said with a smile.
“I’ve had some very difficult nights. I’ve cried a lot because Makai did not deserve to go out like that, especially knowing how young he was and how much promise he had. I wish he had a better outcome,” Cain said.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
