Second man convicted in 2020 fatal shooting of Myles Laster in Milwaukee
Darius Anderson spent nearly three years defending himself from homicide charges, including a trial that would last five full days, appearing to tire everyone involved.
And yet a Milwaukee County jury needed just over an hour to convict him Friday.
After spending much of the last three years on pretrial release, Anderson, 23, was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide in the 2020 shooting death of Myles Laster, 20.
His conviction comes about a year and a half after his accomplice, Eric Gibson, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide, party to a crime.
On July 1, 2020, Laster was shot while sitting in a parked car on Milwaukee’s northwest side shortly after an altercation with a woman he knew, and who also knew Gibson and Anderson, at a gas station. After leaving the station, Laster pulled over to call the police and waited for them.
The woman was furious over the altercation and called Gibson about it. Prosecutors argued Gibson drove his mother’s vehicle while searching the area for Laster and eventually pulled alongside him, allowing Anderson to take a shot.
Laster grew up in Brown Deer with his mother, her partner, a brother and a sister. At a young age, he showed an interest in reading and music production, eventually becoming a rapper known as Milo Throwed. His music attracted several thousand listeners online.
“Myles Laster was just a 20-year-old,” Assistant District Attorney Michael Schindhelm said in his closing remarks. “He’s just a kid with an 'Adventure Time' wallet and he’s holding it while waiting for the police. But the police didn’t get there in time and instead this defendant pulled up and shot him.”
The length of the five-day trial appeared to test the patience of some in the courtroom, with Judge Laura Crivello at one point suggesting to the attorneys that the jury may be tiring.
Anderson and Gibson were charged within weeks of Laster’s death, yet both of their court proceedings had numerous delays. Anderson posted an $85,000 cash bail within a month while Gibson posted a $25,000 bail after three.
Gibson agreed to plead guilty to the homicide charge and one other felony in October 2021 after prosecutors agreed to only recommend prison time, with no specific amount. He's set for a sentencing hearing June 28.
During that hearing in which he pleaded guilty, Gibson told Judge J.D. Watts he was driving the vehicle that pulled up next to Laster’s and that Anderson shot him.
At the trial, Anderson’s lawyer, Robert Lebell, argued that it was Gibson who had a personal conflict with Laster and was ultimately the one to pull the trigger. The argument stemmed from a phone call in which the woman who had an altercation with Laster said she was so mad, she could kill him.
Gibson then answered, “No, you’re not, I am,” according to the criminal complaint. Anderson, in comparison, “never expressed a single bad word” about Laster and had no motivation to hurt him, Lebell said.
Anderson didn't testify at his trial. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Second man convicted in 2020 Milwaukee fatal shooting of Myles Laster
