28-year-old Milwaukee man charged in the death of 3-year-old Akai Stilo
A 28-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged with five felonies, including second-degree homicide, in the death of 3-year-old Akai W. Stilo, who prosecutors say obtained the man's gun and shot himself.
Raheem Moore, the boyfriend of the child's mother, Shantia Jones, was charged Thursday by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. After being convicted of second-degree homicide in 2011, Moore now could face decades behind bars if convicted for the death of Akai.
Jones told investigators when she went to bed at 11 p.m. on the night of Akai's death, Akai and his 9-year-old sibling were already asleep in their bedroom and Moore was still awake in the living room.
Jones woke up at 4:30 a.m. to the sound of a gunshot, rushed into the living room, where she smelled gun powder. She said in a criminal complaint she saw Akai laying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his forehead. Moore was waking up on the living room couch, Jones said in the document.
After discovering Akai, Jones ran from the home and didn't return until police arrived, she told investigators. Jones told police that Moore left the scene because of his criminal record. Moore was sentenced to 20 years in 2011 for second-degree homicide and was released in 2019.
Paramedics had Akai rushed to Children's Wisconsin hospital, where he was later declared dead.
Police discovered a red duffle bag in the basement containing three guns. Jones told investigators she was aware Moore possessed multiple firearms and that the red duffle bag was his, according to the criminal complaint.
Due to his prior felony conviction, Moore was prohibited from having guns and was charged with three counts of illegally possessing a gun, in addition to one count of neglecting a child resulting in death and second-degree homicide.
Moore turned himself in to the Milwaukee police on Wednesday. If convicted on all counts, his sentence could exceed 80 years.
Contact Drake Bentley at (414) 391-5647 or DBentley1@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DrakeBentleyMJS.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 28-year-old Milwaukee man charged in the death of 3-year-old Akai Stilo
