Man accused of trying to frame migrant with Trump hoax letter sentenced to 16.5 years
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A man convicted of stabbing an undocumented migrant, then trying to get the victim deported by forging a letter that threatened to kill President Donald Trump, was sentenced Friday, Feb. 27.
Despite the case getting national attention last spring, the gallery was practically empty when Demetric Scott entered a sixth-floor Milwaukee County courtroom in a wheelchair. Shortly after his arrival, prosecutors said his victim, Ramon Morales-Reyes, declined to give an impact statement and just wanted to move on.
"He has done his service to testify to the truth in this case," Assistant District Attorney Kyle Elderkin said. "And he's quite confident he is done and does not want any further contact, any further part of these proceedings."
Scott was sentenced Friday in two different cases. First, there was the 2023 stabbing of Morales-Reyes in a south side incident that stemmed from a dispute over a bicycle.
Then, last May, Scott concocted a plan to get Morales-Reyes deported. He wrote a letter to the Milwaukee Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) office purporting to be Morales-Reyes.
The letter outlined a plan to shoot President Trump in the head, then self-deport to Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security, including Secretary Kristi Noem, fell for the hoax. The agency arrested Morales-Reyes and posted about the letter on social media.
Within days, Milwaukee police investigators determined Scott was the one who'd written the letter, and Morales-Reyes wasn't even capable of writing such a letter in English.
In court, Elderkin outlined how Scott was previously convicted of beating a man to death in 2010 in a dispute over a coat.
He said Scott's history of violence, along with a need to deter copycats in future cases involving undocumented victims, merited a harsh sentence.
"It's [a case] that was on the news. It's one that inmates around the country have probably heard of," Elderkin said. "[Inmates might say] 'Hey, if I have an immigrant on my case and I can get him deported, I could get my case over with.'"
Scott represented himself throughout the trial. At Friday's hearing, he maintained his innocence, noting he was acquitted on the robbery charge associated with the stabbing.
He told Judge Kristy Yang he believed a fair sentence was three years for the stabbing and three years for the framing.
As she handed down sentences of a combined 16.5 years in prison, Yang said she was most struck by Scott's demeanor throughout the trial.
"You've shown no remorse," Yang told Scott. "And you've gone to the great extent of stating in open court of the ill that you wish upon the victim."
In addition to the time in prison, Scott was sentenced to an additional 12 years of extended supervision upon his release.
After the hearing, a CBS 58 reporter spoke briefly with Scott in the hallway as he was being taken from the courthouse.
"I was innocent. I had never stolen a bike from anybody, "And so, I did what I did because he was trying to get a visa to become a citizen."
When asked if he regretted any of his actions, Scott replied, "No, I don't."
Morales-Reyes' immigration lawyer, Cain Oulahan, told CBS 58 Friday his client's immigration case is still pending.
Oulahan said Morales-Reyes is currently home with his family while the immigration case plays out. Oulahan added he was hopeful Morales-Reyes would be able to secure a work permit that allows him to stay in the country.