Man Charged In 6 'Horrific' Killings In Northwest Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Milwaukee man was accused on Saturday of shooting and killing six people inside a northwest side home four months ago.

The bodies of Charles Hardy, 42, Caleb Jordan, 23, Javoni Leddell, 31, Donta Williams, 44, Michelle Williams, 49 and Donald Smith, 43, were found inside a house near N. 21 Street and W. Wright Street in January 2022.

Travis Birkley, 34, was charged with six counts of felony murder in connection with armed robbery, court records showed. A court ordered the man held under a cash bond of one million dollars.

The man lived less than a mile away from the house where the killings happened. A criminal complaint suggested the group was found several days after they were killed, WISN 12 reported.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson called the discovery of the bodies "horrific." Milwaukee police arrested four people in connection with the deaths in January 2022.

A woman had called 911, telling dispatchers she was the victim of a shooting, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said. She gave two addresses near where the shootings happened, but neither address led to the correct home.

The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office has investigated 94 homicides in 2022, as of Monday.

RELATED:

• 6 Found Dead In Northwest Milwaukee Home
• 4 In Custody After 6 Shot And Killed In Milwaukee Home: MPD