Milwaukee man charged in fatal hit-and-run that killed 3 cousins

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Charges are now filed in a fatal crash that left three women dead Friday, Nov. 3.

Twenty-three-year-old Everton Stewart is charged with the following:

• Homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle while having prior intoxicant-related conviction/revocation (3 counts)
• Homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle with PAC (prohibited alcohol concentration) while having prior intoxicant-related conviction (3 counts)
• Hit-and-run resulting in death (3 counts)
• Knowingly operate motor vehicle while revoked - cause death of another (3 charges)

According to a criminal complaint, officers responded to reports of a disorderly person causing problems at a home just before 2 a.m. Nov. 3. The caller identified the disorderly person as Stewart, and said they'd heard him having an altercation with a woman who was screaming. When the caller went to help the woman, they said Stewart attacked them, threatening them with a knife. The caller told officers Stewart had been drinking all day, smelled of alcohol, and left the area driving his Toyota Avalon at a high rate of speed.

"In this case, what he did was he was beating his girlfriend and when neighbors intervened, finding him to be intoxicated, he gets in his car and flees the scene," said Arthur Kenneth Thexton, assistant district attorney.

Around 2:10 a.m., officers were dispatched to the scene of a two-car crash at Florist and Sherman Boulevard. The complaint says police found a Nissan severely damaged, and a second car -- a Toyota Avalon -- with front-end damage. The driver of the Avalon was not on scene. 

Prosecutors say a citizen who came to assist injured occupants of the Nissan told police they saw the driver of the Avalon leave the area on foot. Police later found a passport belonging to Stewart inside the vehicle. 

The three occupants of the Nissan were identified as 28-year-old Latasha Dyson, 28-year-old Ebony Johnson, and 31-year-old Lashonda Jackson. The complaint says two of the victims died on-scene, and the third died at an area hospital. 

An officer with experience in crash reconstruction determined that the Avalon had entered the intersection without stopping, while traveling above the posted speed limit, and struck the vehicle "in T-bone fashion."

A trail of blood led police to Stewart's home Friday, where they found him in bed, bleeding from the face, knee and elsewhere. 

A toxicologist determined the alcohol concentration in Stewart's blood was 0.157, nearly twice the legal limit to drive.

In an interview with investigators, Stewart admitted to driving the Avalon when he was in a collision on Florist Avenue. He estimated his speed to be 60 mph. Stewart told authorities he got out of his car and "did not see anyone in need of help," so he left the area on foot. 

Records show Stewart was convicted of operating while intoxicated in Milwaukee in 2019, and his license was revoked indefinitely because he did not comply with his required alcohol assessment.

In court Tuesday, cash bond was set at $300,000. 

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 15.