Guilty verdicts returned in shooting death of Kaukauna man
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide and two other felonies Wednesday for his role in the Jan. 17 shooting death of a Kaukauna man.
A jury deliberated about an hour before finding Mack D. Chambliss, 48, guilty of killing Adam R. McCormick, 34, in the basement of a Milwaukee residence.
Chambliss also was convicted of hiding a corpse and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9 in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Authorities say nearby Milwaukee residents said they heard two gunshots, as well as a voice stating “clean up the basement,” then saw two individuals place a body in a Mercedes-Benz at 2036 Fairmount Ave.
A witness at the residence said an argument took place between Chambliss and an unknown man. According to the criminal complaint, the witness said Chambliss pistol-whipped the man and shouted “you tried to set me up!” before shooting him.
The witness said Danelle Eaton, 35, of Milwaukee, and Angelina Ruesch, 28, of Hartland, carried the victim to Chambliss’ Mercedes, where Chambliss and Ruesch loaded the body into the car. Eaton then told Chambliss to help clean the basement, before Eaton loaded a bag of clothes and the basement carpet into her car’s trunk.
McCormick's body was located in a vehicle in Cambridge.
Upon investigation, a police officer reported seeing fresh blood on the residence’s front porch and bloody footsteps leading to the basement, which had a strong smell of bleach, the criminal complaint said. Forensic investigators determined blood had been in the basement, and a spent brass 9mm casing was found in an open black duffel bag, according to the complaint.
According to the complaint, police found Melissa Calvert, 34, of Milwaukee, behind a garage at 8828 W. Fairmount Ave., at the site of an active fire. She wore rubber gloves and had a firearm at her waist. In an interview with a detective, Calvert said Eaton asked her to burn a bag of clothes in the fire pit, the complaint said.
Ruesch and Eaton are both charged with hiding a corpse and aiding a felon, and Calvert is charged with possession of a firearm while convicted of a felony and aiding a felon.
According to the complaint, an anonymous individual said that prior to the homicide, they had been staying for about a week at the Chambliss’ residence on 41st Street, along with several other people, including Chambliss, Ruesch and McCormick. The individual said McCormick was romantically linked to Ruesch, while Ruesch reportedly had romantic feelings for Chambliss.
Around 5 p.m. Jan. 16, the evening before McCormick was killed, the individual said McCormick came downstairs crying, and said that he and Ruesch were breaking up. Around 6 p.m., McCormick, Ruesch and Chambliss left in a Mercedes-Benz and did not return. Police later found registration for the Mercedes-Benz at Chambliss’ address, the criminal complaint said.
A forensic examination found that McCormick died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, according to the complaint.
Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Guilty verdicts in shooting death of Adam McCormick of Kaukauna
