Jury finds one of four homicide suspects guilty

Racine man convicted in killing of Joseph Riley

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

A Kenosha County jury needed less than three hours to convict one of four accused in a home invasion and fatal shooting of a Town of Wheatland man.

Markeith Wilson

Markeith Wilson, 21, of Racine, found guilty of four felonies on Oct. 4, allegedly plotted the Nov. 15, 2018, home invasion turned deadly with co-defendant Augustine J. Sanchez, 21, also of Racine, according to the criminal complaint.

Wilson will be sentenced Jan. 9 on charges of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide for injuries to a woman inside the home, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and burglary-armed with a dangerous weapon. Each of the charges carries party to a crime modifiers.

Wilson, whose guilty plea came after a three-day jury trial, which consisted of testimony from detectives and two of his codefendants, including Sanchez. The third suspect, Anthony L. Harris, 24, Racine, invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid testifying, according to online court records.

Victim a “soft” target
The complaint alleges the two along with Harris, 24, and Demarco Hudson, 20, Racine, initially planned to rob victim Joseph Riley, 23, of cash and marijuana because they believed he would be “soft.”

Harris, the complaint states, said Sanchez and Wilson planned the home invasion after the two learned about Riley through a girl they knew on Facebook.

The complaint contends Harris, Sanchez, Wilson and another man visited Riley’s home in the 31500 block of 71st Street the night before, but left after he refused to open the door when they knocked on it.

“Riley stated that the night before two guys had come to his house and knocked claiming to be his neighbor and that he didn’t know them so he didn’t let them in because they looked like they might be holding pistols and might be there to rob him,” Riley’s friend and witness told investigators.

The following day, Sanchez, the purported driver, secured a vehicle from his girlfriend and transported the three other suspects and waited in the vehicle, the complaint contends.

The complaint, meanwhile, noted at least three of suspects had been armed with firearms.

“Defendant Wilson indicated that defendant Sanchez drove to pick up defendant Demarco Hudson and defendant Anthony Harris, and that all four of them proceeded to the address that turned out to be Riley’s,” the complaint states.

“Defendant Wilson indicated they parked a block away and that it had already been decided that defendant Wilson and defendant Harris were going to just kick the door in and get Riley’s weed and money.”

The plan, however, turned deadly when the other three forced entry into the home by kicking the door open and immediately sought Riley.

Harris, according to the complaint, began firing at Riley and a woman sitting on a nearby couch.

Riley, who had a 9-millimeter handgun on his coffee table because of a previous robbery attempt, picked up the gun and started firing in self-defense.

The complaint contends bullets struck Wilson and Hudson, who was also shooting, adding Wilson told investigators he saw Harris open fire at Riley and the 27-year-old woman with him.

Riley, according to an autopsy report, had four bullet wounds. The autopsy revealed Riley had been struck in the left chest, right leg and twice in the left leg.

“(The medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds,” Harris’ complaint states.

Wilson and Hudson retreated to Sanchez’s vehicle, which stopped at the McDonald’s and BP gas station on Highway 50 in Paddock, where Wilson and Hudson left the vehicle and were arrested by authorities.

Harris and Sanchez were arrested the following day.

See the Nov. 1 print edition of the Twin Lakes Report for the full story


Posted

in

by

Tags: