RACINE — One of two teens charged in last year’s fatal shooting of 19-year-old Jose Angel Padilla plans to claim that another person also was responsible for Padilla’s death.
Ellison
Laura Walker, the attorney of 17-year-old Dashawn Ellison, said in court Monday that she had filed a third-party liability motion for Ellison’s upcoming trial, naming another party for their role in Padilla’s death.
“I was given some information via pictures of some texts that basically, if associated with this case, would show that (omitted name) is more than involved in this homicide,” Walker said.
That party is not being named by The Journal Times as he has not been charged in connection the crime. An attorney for the unnamed party also was present during court proceedings.
Ellison, of the 1000 block of Main Street, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon as a party to a crime, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent of a felony as a party to a crime, all felonies.
Christopher Stanley Webster, 19, of the 1200 block of Center Street, is also charged with first-degree intentional homicide as party to a crime.
Webster
Walker and Assistant District Attorney Diane Donohoo agreed that both sides are prepared for trial; however, Walker said she has been unable to get two key defense witnesses served in the case.
“If I am able to get these two people to verify that they received that text message and that it was from (name omitted) or comes from his phone number, then I think it goes a huge way to show this isn’t first-degree intentional homicide, but felony murder,” Walker said.
Felony murder is a death that occurs during the commission of another crime. Felony murder convictions add a maximum of 15 years in prison to the sentence of the crime being carried out at the time of the murder, whereas first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life prison sentence, Wisconsin law says.
Donohoo said that while she had no argument against the use of the texts in questioning the unnamed party on the stand, she did express concerns about other witnesses testifying on those text messages, citing hearsay concerns.
“Counsel has shown me some screenshots of some texts messages which are only words,” Donohoo said. “They don’t give me any phone numbers or dates or times or anything else associated with it to give context.”
Ellison’s trial is scheduled to take place March 9-12.
Fatal shooting
The charges stem from the May 22 incident in which Ellison allegedly shot Angel Padilla in the back with a shotgun in front of a home in the 1200 block of Center Street, according to the criminal complaint.
Ellison changed his story several times while being interviewed by police, but admitted to being at Webster’s home. At one point, Ellison reportedly said that Webster had tipped him off about a potential robbery they could commit, but later changed his story, claiming that the shooting of Angel Padilla was retaliation for a previous robbery.
From left, Ivan Angel Padilla, 14, Jose Angel Padilla's younger brother; Giayanah Garcia; and Steasy Gomez mourn Jose at a vigil on May 26 near the shooting scene in the 1200 block of Center Street. The trial for the one of two people charged with Angel Padilla's fatal shooting is slated to begin March 9.
Webster’s jury trial is set for Sept. 15-18, as he recently obtained a private attorney who needed time to get up to speed on the case, and Angel Padilla’s family plan to be out of country for two months.
Collection: Vigils held by Racine Interfaith after fatalities
MOUNT PLEASANT — Less than a week after 18-year-old Tyrese West was shot and killed by a Mount Pleasant Police officer, members of the Racine Interfaith Coalition gathered to pray for him, his loved ones and the community.
West was shot early Saturday morning after he allegedly fled from the officer and was uncooperative. The teen was reportedly armed with a gun.
“This young brother that has passed away, he had a life, he had a family, he had loved ones and I know that they’re grieving,” said Pastor Prentiss Robbins, Jr., a community organizer for RIC.
Robbins said he’d just learned upon arriving at the vigil at the scene of the shooting, near 24th and Racine streets, that West’s family had asked people not to come to it, and to attend another vigil at 6 p.m. Thursday at the same location. Robbins said he understood, and that RIC was not trying to upset the family.
“They’re dealing with pain and anger,” he said.
RIC has been holding vigils to pray for those who died by violence and to consecrate the ground where the violence happened for more than 20 years.
“No one deserves to die a violent death,” Robbins said.
Tamerin Hayward, co-president of RIC, said West was at a time in his life when he should have been going to school, getting a job and having a girlfriend.
“The real tragedy to me is that Tyrese was 18 years old,” Hayward said. “He should have been just starting his life and instead it’s over.”
Hayward’s co-president, Linda Boyle, urged relationship building and taking action to try to stem violence in the community.
“If we do not reach out in faith and build those relationships, we are going to end up with more situations that bring us together in a place like this,” Boyle said. “We need to change this. We need to talk to each other. We need to pray together, but we also need to act together.”
RIC has put on six vigils for community members who died by violence in the Racine area in the same number of weeks.
“It just has to stop,” Hayward said.
Boyle read a statement from Nick Demske, supervisor for Racine County’s First District, as he was out of town and not able to attend the vigil. It read, in part, “We need people to have courageous conversations around these issues starting now so that we won’t find ourselves at similar memorials in the future, wondering if we did enough.”
Robbins said members of RIC needed to continue to reach out to the families of victims of violence to find out what they can do to help. He added that they needed to do something beyond just holding vigils.
Why?
Local activist Maria Morales said she heard a lot of people saying what should or shouldn’t be done during the vigil.
“What I want to know is why,” she said.
There are still many questions about West’s death that have not been answered by law enforcement, including what non-lethal methods were used to try to stop him and whether he shot at the officer before he was shot.
Morales lost a nephew to gun violence, she said, and also experienced the death of a son and a daughter. She said she didn’t hear enough during the vigil about what West’s family is going through.
“Losing a child is the hardest pain,” Morales said. “I share that pain.”
MOUNT PLEASANT — The Racine Interfaith Coalition is inviting the community to pray for 18-year-old Tyrese West and his family during a vigil scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
West, of Racine, was shot by a Mount Pleasant Police officer Saturday during a foot pursuit.
The vigil is scheduled to take place at the corner of 25th and Racine streets, near where the shooting occurred.
“Please come show your support for the victims of this tragic incident,” RIC said in its Facebook event post about the vigil.
Racine Police, who are investigating the case, said a Mount Pleasant officer was attempting to make contact with West when he fled. Following a short foot pursuit, the officer observed that West was armed.
Police said West, whom officers described as being “uncooperative, ignored police commands. “Less-lethal” attempts to address West’s threat were unsuccessful, police said, and eventually lethal force was used, police said in a Saturday news release.
RACINE— At a Sunday evening vigil for Gene Smith, the man stabbed to death last week, it wasn’t just family members mourning him, but also coworkers.
The Racine Interfaith Coalition vigil, which drew nearly 100 people — with more continuing to arrive even after it had ended — was held in the 3800 block of North Bay Drive, in front of the duplex where Smith, 35, was killed Thursday.
Severely injured in the attack was Smith’s girlfriend, Joy Reid, who was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa and was last reported to be in critical but stable condition.
Being held in the Racine County Jail on a $1 million cash bond is Lapiate P. Boone, with whom Reid has two children. Boone faces multiple felony charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a sentence of life in prison if convicted.
As RIC members, Women’s Resource Center representatives and other gathered for the 6 p.m. vigil, RIC co-president Tammy Hayward noted that Thursday’s fatal attack was the third domestic violence death in about the past three weeks. Smith reportedly died as he was trying to protect Reid from Boone’s knife attack at Boone’s home, where Reid was helping her children, ages 12 and 16, pack some things.
During Sunday’s vigil, after remarks and a prayer by the Rev. Don Francis of North Point United Methodist Church and the singing of hymns, attendees were invited to speak. Smith’s father, Gene Smith Jr., said: “If you know my son, I’m sure you know that he was a most outstanding young man.”
“Let that be known that we lost a great shepherd, father, worker, son, grandson,” Smith said, and he thanked the group for their “concern and kind words.”
Later, Smith added: “I’m sorry for all of us; we lost a prince.”
“Your son was a hero; he was trying to protect an innocent,” Hayward said, “so we know he’s in the arms of the Lord.”
‘Great boss, great friend’
“Both (Reid and Smith) were wonderful,” said Christy Owens, who had worked for Smith at Froedtert Kenosha Hospital. “Gene was a good boss; he’s very kind. They both were very kind people.”
Last they’d heard, she added, Reid was doing better. (Reid’s condition was unavailable from the hospital Sunday.)
Susie Spence, who worked for Smith at Froedtert Kenosha, said of him: “Great boss, great friend, and he will be truly missed.”
“I’m just blessed to have known him for the short three years that I’ve known him.”
After Spence composed herself, she talked about the rivalry that she, a Cubs fan from Chicago, had with Smith, a Cardinals fan who came to this area from St. Louis about a dozen years ago.
“We went at it like the baseball team would,” Spence said. “So, I’m going to miss that. ‘Cause I know come Monday, me and him is supposed to be arguing over the games for this weekend.” (The Cubs and Cardinals concluded a weekend series on Sunday.)
‘Touched my life’
Jeff Zematis had been Smith’s boss at Froedtert Kenosha until recently, when Smith earned a promotion.
“I’m here as a friend today — I’m not here as his boss,” Zematis said. “I’m here as a friend to a man who touched my life in a short period of time.”
Zematis described the last conversation the two men had as Smith was poised to take another position within the organization.
“We were actually discussing the joys and heartaches of our employees that are here today, and the smiles that they give us and the laughs that they give us each day,” Zematis said.
“And in the same context of all this discussion, he was telling me about his mother, who taught him the lessons of friendship … he was a great man with charisma that will forever touch people’s lives.
“In the short period of time that I’ve known him, I couldn’t respect anybody more.”
RACINE — The Racine Interfaith Coalition has scheduled a Community Rally for Peace for 6 p.m. tonight at Monument Square to honor the memories of six recent victims of fatal violence in the area.
The purpose of the rally is to bring people together in response to the significant level of violence the community has recently experienced. That includes the deaths in the last few weeks of 19-year-old Jose Angel Padilla, 30-year-old Angelica Rios, 34-year-old Ubaldo Gonzalez Jr., 35-year-old Gene Smith, 18-year-old Tyrese West and Racine Police Officer John Hetland.
Rios and Gonzales died May 10 in a murder-suicide, Angel Padilla was fatally shot May 22, Smith was stabbed to death May 31, West was fatally shot by a Mount Pleasant Police officer early Saturday morning and Hetland was fatally shot Monday while trying to stop an armed robbery at Teezers Tavern.
Led by Prentiss Robbins Jr., Racine Interfaith Coalition community organizer and senior pastor of New Beginnings of Faith Church of God in Christ in Racine, the rally will include prayers and conversation about how local residents can come together to reduce violence and promote peace and reconciliation.
Faith leaders, elected officials and all others who care about reducing violence in the community are invited to attend.
For more information, contact Linda Boyle, co-president of the Racine Interfaith Coalition, at 262-488-5245 or lindaboyle1@gmail.com.
RACINE — Ask any of his friends and family, and they’ll tell you Jose Angel Padilla, 19, had big dreams and worked hard to achieve them.
He graduated from J.I. Case high school in 2018 and had just completed his first year at Gateway Technical College, where he was studying in hopes of becoming a police officer.
His girlfriend of almost four years, Saleysia Murillo, 19, said he was excited about a new job — her father said Angel Padilla always had two jobs — and was planning to save up for a new truck.
That was before he was shot and killed at about 8 p.m. Wednesday at the corner of 12th and Center streets, about two blocks from his home.
During a vigil on Sunday at the corner where he was killed, his sister, Karina Angel Padilla, 23, called for justice.
“He didn’t deserve what happened,” said Karina. “It makes me mad that he didn’t have a chance to live his life, to get married, have kids, grow up to be a man.”
Murillo said she met him through mutual friends. She described him as sweet and kind.
“He was just a great person all around,” she said. “He had a great heart. He had a beautiful smile.”
Dozens of friends and family members wept at the vigil, some wearing T-shirts depicting Jose in heaven. His younger brother Ivan, 14, held a poster board plastered with photos of Angel. In all of them, he is smiling.
His parents, Maria Padilla and Jose Angel Reyes, were inconsolable.
Pastor Prentiss Robbins of New Beginnings of Faith, 2711 19th St., organizes such vigils for the Racine Interfaith Coalition. He voiced his frustration with the senseless violence.
“We’re having too many violent deaths in this community, day after day,” said Robbins. “How many other people will we allow this to happen to?”
One man in handcuffs was observed being led from the scene just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, before he was driven away in a police vehicle. As of Sunday, no one has been charged for Jose Angel Padilla’s death.
The funeral for Jose Angel Padilla is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Strouf Funeral Home, 1001 High St.
Alyssa Mauk
Reporter
Alyssa Mauk covers breaking news and courts. She enjoys spending time with her family, video games, heavy metal music, watching YouTube videos, comic books and movies.
