Milwaukee crash kills woman, grandson; man sentenced
Janice Howard and Ashton Porter (photos provided by family)
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee man convicted in a crash that killed a woman and her grandson – while he was on the run as one of "Wisconsin's Most Wanted" – was sentenced to decades in prison on Friday.
Prison sentence
In court:
Davonte Jackson, 33, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in March. He was convicted of second-degree recklessly endangering safety and two vehicular homicide counts. Eight other felonies were dismissed but read into the record.
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Court records show Milwaukee County Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Jackson to 30 years in prison, with credit for more than two years' time served, on May 15. She further sentenced him to 10 years of extended supervision.
Davonte Jackson (2024)
Sherman and Villard crash
The backstory:
Milwaukee police said Jackson ran a red light, leading to a four-car crash at Sherman and Villard, in March 2024. It killed 55-year-old Janice Howard and her 11-year-old grandson, Ashton Porter.
Police said Howard and Porter's car flipped when Jackson crashed into them. As a result of the impact, their car then struck two others – including an MPD squad.
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Howard was pronounced dead at a hospital. Porter was taken to a hospital and died from his injuries days later.
There were two officers in the squad that was hit. One of those officers was injured but did not require medical attention, and the other was not injured. No other injuries were reported.
Officers arrested Jackson on Eggert Place, roughly a block from the crash scene. He was one of "Wisconsin's Most Wanted" at the time.
Scene at Sherman and Villard
‘Most Wanted’ status
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News first profiled Jackson in January 2020 when he was accused of stealing Christmas presents from under a tree during a home invasion.
Jackson was named one of "Wisconsin's Most Wanted" in August 2023, and he remained a wanted fugitive until his arrest after the crash in March 2024.
In the stolen presents case, Jackson also reached a plea deal on Monday. He was convicted of harboring/aiding a felon and is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the Milwaukee Police Department, Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit court, as well as prior coverage related to the case.