A Chicago man has been found guilty of killing a man in a Milwaukee Taco Bell parking lot

The youngest accused in the slaying of a man who intervened in a botched carjacking attempt in a Milwaukee Taco Bell parking lot has been convicted of murder.

A Milwaukee County jury found Tramaine Walton, 18, of Chicago, guilty of first-degree negligent homicide, accessory to a dangerous weapon and other charges related to the May 5 shooting that left 41-year-old Stanley Smith Jr. dead.

The jury, made up of seven men and five women, reached its verdict after less than 90 minutes of deliberation. The sentence will be pronounced on January 30.

Walton was 17 years old at the time of filming.

The other three men are Lamont D. Stanton, 19; Correnthis C. Neal, 18; and Yovani J. Velasquez, 31, all of Chicago, also were charged. Their cases are considered separately.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel T. Flaherty presented 37 witnesses and more than 90 pieces of evidence, including surveillance video, during the week-long trial.

Velasquez became a key witness in the case after he reached a plea deal with prosecutors last month.

Velasquez, who prosecutors believe led the other defendants that day, agreed to plead guilty to attempted armed robbery as an accessory to a crime, fleeing or eluding an officer and possession of an assault rifle and serve 15 years in prison.

Velasquez testified against Walton at trial and portrayed him as a willing participant in both the robbery and the shooting.

This is what happened, prosecutors say

The shooting happened shortly after 6 p.m. on May 5 in the parking lot of the Taco Bell located at 5630 W. North Ave. The incident began at the nearby bar Scene 1 Restaurant & Lounge, located at 5526 W. North Ave.

According to the criminal complaint, Smith was at the bar and parked in the Taco Bell parking lot. The DJ announced that people were breaking into cars on the street. This led to patrons, including Smith, rushing from the bar to their cars.

One witness described Smith “fighting” with the masked men before shots were fired, leaving him motionless in the parking lot, the complaint said.

Jurors saw surveillance footage. The video shows four men getting out of the car and approaching a white Jeep SUV in the lot next to Smith’s car. Soon, more people appeared from the bar, and the four men ran away.

A few minutes later, three men raised their hands as if to point a weapon, and a fourth person got into a physical struggle with Smith, according to the complaint.

Shots were later fired before the men drove off in a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee. The police found shell casings from various weapons at the scene, the statement said.

Earle said no fingerprints or DNA found at the scene linked Walton to the crime. He argued that the video evidence was too blurry to conclusively prove his client’s involvement.

Earl urged jurors to be skeptical of Velasquez’s testimony, saying his plea deal with prosecutors made him an “untrustworthy witness.”

Looking Ahead – What’s next for the other men charged in the case?

Neal’s plea hearing is scheduled for November 7. A status conference for Stanton is scheduled for Nov. 20.

Velasquez’s status conference is set for Jan. 10.

Car thefts are up in Milwaukee this year

According to Milwaukee police, there have been 5,254 reports of stolen vehicles this year. This is a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2023, when a total of 6,277 such thefts were reported.

In 2022, 8,099 vehicles were stolen in the city.

AND in an April report by the National Crime Bureau said car thefts continue to rise across the country, with more than 1 million stolen in 2023. Kia and Hyundai cars were among the most stolen.