The last year has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Thao family. 13-month-old Bill Thao was gunned down in the living room December 27, last year, as he played with toys.
“Because he’s not an adult and wasn’t playing with a gun himself, that rules out accident or suicide. The only other option is homicide,” explained Milwaukee County Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Brian Peterson.
Darmequaye Cohill sat silently in court on Tuesday. He’s charged in the shooting death, but his lawyer argues he’s innocent. The jurors were shown photos of a crime scene peppered with evidence markers.
Neighbor Sheila White, testified she heard at least 10 shots.
“When I heard them, I told my son, in case it’s not fireworks, just get down on the floor. I got my grand baby and got down on the floor,” said White.
There were a total of 41 casings.
Prosecutors say Cohill was a heroin dealer. Court records say he was upset that someone stole his phone and sold to one of his buyers. What happened next was a case of mistaken revenge as Bill Thao was shot dead.
The trial is expected to last throughout the week.
