Travis Birkley: Wisconsin man, 34, posed for morbid selfie after killing six in botched robbery
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: A Milwaukee man has been charged with 6 counts of felony murder for allegedly killing six people during an attempted robbery in a Milwaukee duplex in January. The man in custody has been identified as Travis Lamar Birkley, 34, who was brought in front of the court on Sunday, June 5, and is being held on a $1 million bail. The investigators found six people dead in north Milwaukee on January 23, but they believe that they were dead three days prior.
The deceased are Michelle Williams, 49, Donta "Michael" Williams, 44, Donald Smith, 43, Charles Hardy, 42, Javoni Liddell, 31, and Caleb Jordan, 23. A witness, who chose to remain anonymous, told the investigators that Birkley admitted to killing all six victims during a "robbery gone bad" with his cousin, as explained in the complaint obtained by Fox 6 Milwaukee. What's even more twisted is that Birkley posted a selfie on Facebook wearing a victim's sunglasses, merely 20 hours after the incident.
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According to the copy of the criminal complaint filed in the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the officers responded to a call at an address located in the 2500 block of the 21st Street at around 3:30 p.m. The first responders interacted with two people outside the house who explained that there were two dead bodies in the basement. According to the affidavit, each body was covered with a blanket, and the officers initially believed that they came across three people who were sleeping.
34-year-old Travis Birkley Charged With 6 Felony Counts For Murder-robbery In The Deaths Of 6 Victims In The K2 Synthetic Marijuana Drug Related Killings https://t.co/DUEcyrRevD pic.twitter.com/KzcjcbWpWD
— IndependentRidersUS (@MotoRidingGroup) June 7, 2022
Who is Travis Birkley?
The 34-year-old was further linked to the killings via his phone records. The confidential witness also explained in the complaint that Birkley, after the incident, was seen carrying cash, guns, and drugs that belonged to one of the victims. This victim could be Donta "Michael" Williams as she is said to be a drug dealer dealing in synthetic marijuana. This information provided by a witness was later backed up by Donta's phone records. Interestingly enough, the police found some prescription documents in the basement in Birkley's name, hinting at a long relationship between the suspect and the victim.
According to court records, bail was set at $1 million for 34-year-old Travis Lamar Birkley, who is charged with six counts of felony murder - armed robbery in connection with the slayings of Michelle Williams, 49; Donta Williams, 44; Donald Smith, 43; Charles Hardy, 42; Javoni- pic.twitter.com/lKfemZ67iD
— MONSOON (@MONSOONFBA) June 7, 2022
A press release by MPD claims that if Birkley is found guilty, he could face up to 330 years in prison. It also stated that "The Milwaukee Police Department continues to seek additional information regarding this incident." According to a police report, Birkley's cousin explained that they had to shoot everyone because they could either be armed or a witness. Apparently, their initial plan was to rob Donta after arranging a meeting to buy narcotics. The police found 10 different cellphones and 10 shell casings from two different weapons at the crime scene. This has led them to believe that there was another shooter but no one else has been taken into custody yet.