In Madison, Wisconsin, a former bellhop from Milwaukee has confessed to his involvement in an incident that led to a man’s death. The bellhop, Herbert Williamson, admitted guilt to a reduced misdemeanor battery charge on Thursday. Initially, Williamson faced charges of being an accessory to felony murder for his alleged role in the June 2024 incident where D’Vontaye Mitchell lost his life outside the Milwaukee Hyatt.
Herbert Williamson’s legal representative revealed that the charges against him were diminished as part of a plea deal. The agreement requires Williamson to testify if needed in relation to others implicated in the incident. The plea bargain enables Williamson to avoid more severe penalties, and he now faces a maximum of nine months in jail rather than the potential 15-year sentence linked to the felony murder charge.
The restructuring of the charges and the resulting plea deal have been favorable for Williamson, according to his attorney. As of now, there has been no comment from the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office on the matter.
Other former employees of the Hyatt, three in total, also face felony murder charges connected to Mitchell’s death. Among them, Brandon Turner has entered a guilty plea in exchange for the possibility of probation, contingent upon his cooperation as a witness. Turner’s sentencing coincides with Williamson’s on September 3. Meanwhile, Todd Erickson is slated for trial in August, and Devin Johnson-Carson has a plea hearing scheduled for March 20.
Court records reveal that surveillance footage captured the sequence of events starting with Mitchell entering the Hyatt lobby and heading into the women’s restroom. There, witnesses reported Mitchell attempting to trap them inside. A confrontation ensued, leading Turner and a guest to drag Mitchell out of the building. Subsequently, Erickson, Williamson, and Johnson-Carson joined the effort to restrain Mitchell, who was pinned down for an extended period.
By the time emergency medical services arrived, Mitchell had become unresponsive. An examination by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner highlighted factors such as Mitchell’s obesity and heart conditions, compounded by the presence of cocaine and methamphetamine in his system. The death was labeled a homicide due to suffocation.
Comparisons have been drawn between Mitchell’s tragic demise and the 2020 murder of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. Mitchell, like Floyd, was Black, with the incident echoing broader societal issues and prompting discussions surrounding race and justice.
All four hotel workers involved in the situation, regardless of their intentions, reported facing a challenging situation with Mitchell, asserting that they did not plan to harm him. Subsequently, Aimbridge Hospitality, which oversees the hotel’s operations, terminated their employment in July.
This report addresses a critical update, correcting earlier references to the bellhop’s last name from Williams to Williamson.