A Two Rivers man connected to the 2021 shooting death of Malachi Moore is sentenced in child neglect, OWI cases
Fulfilling our obligation: This report is part of the Herald Times Reporter's mission to follow criminal cases from arrest to their conclusion.
MANITOWOC - A Two Rivers man who was arrested in connection with the 2021 shooting death of 17-year-old Malachi Moore has been sentenced.
Todd P. Mueller, 48, was sentenced in three different cases Tuesday.
Mueller was present at his residence on May 17, 2021, with several other people, including his two children, when Moore was shot in one of the bedrooms.
When police arrived at Mueller's residence, they saw the house was unsanitary and smelled strongly of ammonia, according to the criminal complaint.
The criminal complaint does not state the ages of the children but did describe a house filled with feces, broken glass and spoiled food.
In the basement, police found dog feces and urine "deep enough to resemble standing water."
In the complaint, Mueller told police the children were responsible for taking care of the dogs and the housework. He also told police he did not know if the children were attending school.
Police interviewed a neighbor who said she provided food and clothing and did some housework for the children, according to the complaint.
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Mueller appeared for a sentencing hearing Tuesday in Manitowoc County Circuit Court. While Mueller was not charged with any crimes related to the death of Moore, he was charged with two felony counts of chronic neglect of a child. On both counts, his sentence was withheld and he was given two years of probation.
In a separate case filed on July 29, 2021, Mueller was charged with a misdemeanor providing improper animal sanitation and felony bail jumping. On both counts, his sentence was withheld and he was given two years of probation.
In a third case, filed on July 27, 2020, he was charged with his fifth operating while intoxicated, a felony. He was sentenced to one year in state prison, followed by two years of extended supervision.
Conditions of his extended supervision and probation include absolute sobriety, full-time employment and to take part in any counseling, treatment or assessments his probation agent deems necessary.
Four other men were charged in 2021 in connection with Moore's death — Joshua Walcott was charged with first-degree homicide, felony possession of a firearm and felony sexual assault of a child; Malik Thomson was charged with felony possession of THC and misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon; Rodney Anderson Jr. was charged with harboring or aiding a felon; and Kaden Jones was charged with misdemeanor bail jumping, which was later dismissed.
Walcott is expected in court on Thursday for a motion hearing, and Anderson is scheduled for a status conference on Sept. 1. A scheduling conference is also scheduled for Thomson on Aug. 10.
Contact Alisa Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisaMSchafer.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Two Rivers man connected to shooting death of Malachi Moore sentenced
