In jail again: Kia Boy from viral documentary arrested for stealing another car, 2 months after release from jail

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One of Milwaukee's most notorious Kia Boys is back in jail, accused of stealing another Kia.

Eighteen-year-old Markell Hughes served a year in jail for a previous case, but he was arrested again just two months after he was released.

Hughes first gained notoriety in the infamous Kia Boys YouTube documentary last spring. That video was shown repeatedly at his trial.

At the time, his attorney asked for leniency and his older brother said Markell had learned his lesson. But now he's in jail again, charged with the exact same crime.

Markell Hughes was shot Aug. 22 and was in the hospital getting treatment when police detectives realized the SUV he had been driving that night was stolen.

A criminal complaint says the 2019 Kia Sportage had been ditched in a front yard after it was hit with bullets. And the steering column was damaged, an indication it had been stolen and started without a key.

Hughes told police someone else stole the car, that he was only driving it when three people opened fire and shot him.

He was arrested.

Hughes -now 18- was featured prominently in the Kia Boys documentary that went viral in Milwaukee in the spring of 2022.

When he was arrested that June and charged with stealing two cars, the video was the main piece of evidence played at his trial.

At the time, Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Grace Gall told the court, "The issue the state also has is the number of incidents in a short period of time."

Prosecutors said that in addition to those two cases, Hughes' fingerprints were also found inside or outside six other stolen cars in the last year.

His older brother Darnell Carter told us at the time, "He just was in a messed-up predicament, wrong time, and wrong place and I'm glad that he's coming home."

Carter added that Hughes had changed his ways. "He definitely regrets it all because it made it a hassle on our family and so much to come down here."

And Hughes' attorney, Meera Al-Henaey, asked the judge to give the teen a second chance. "The defense understands that and that's why Mr. Hughes pled guilty. He accepted responsibility for it."

On June 21, Hughes was sentenced to the 368 days he had already spent in jail, and he was released on three years of extended supervision.

But two months later, Hughes was arrested and charged again.

The Kia Sportage went missing from the parking lot of an Oak Creek hotel. The owner was vacationing in Milwaukee from New York at the time.

The most recent car theft count is a felony, so Markell Hughes could spend 10 years behind bars if he's found guilty. His next court appearance is Sept. 28.