Crime & Safety
Man Charged After Fatal Stabbing On Milwaukee's Far South Side
A man accused of fatally stabbing someone during a fight told police he only wanted to cause enough damage for stitches, a complaint said.
MILWAUKEE, WI — Prosecutors charged a man from Racine with second-degree reckless homicide on Tuesday in connection with the July 20 fatal stabbing near 13th and Grenada Streets, about a block north of College Avenue.
Monquel J. Harper, 20, could face up to 25 years in prison if he is convicted of the homicide charge. He made his first appearance in court on Tuesday over video where cash bond was set at $30,000, online records showed. Police accused Harper of stabbing another man who went by "Vinnie" in the middle of a fight, according to a criminal complaint.
Police found "Vinnie" just after 3 a.m. that day laying face down, covered in blood, on the southern side of the roadway, according to the complaint. He had a stab wound in his chest, and an officer immediately began giving him aid until authorites brought him to Froedtert Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than two hours after he was found, according to the complaint.
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A witness told police she met "Vinnie" that night, according to the complaint. She said Harper was picking her and another woman up and that they drove to Vinnie's home for alcohol, the complaint said. When they got there, the witness said Vinnie was upset and that he was cussing at them, so the group went to drop him back off at his place, according to the complaint.
The witness told police that Vinnie pushed Harper and people tried to break them up but suddenly Harper stabbed Vinnie in the chest, according to the complaint. The man realized he was stabbed, and began to walk toward his apartment, but collapsed near the curb, the complaint said.
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Another member of the group told police that they tried to help the man who was stabbed but they didn't know what to do, so they panicked and left after calling 911, according to the complaint.
During an interview with police, Harper said they went to the house because they knew there would be alcohol, the complaint said. Harper told police he only wanted to cut the man enough so he needed stitches and denied wanting to kill him, according to the complaint.
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