Man who killed son during argument over dirty room is sentenced to 15 years

A Milwaukee man who killed his son in an argument over a dirty bedroom was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.

Jakari Wright was 21 in August 2018, when his father, Randell Wright, 47, told him he had to move out of their apartment in the 3700 block of West Oklahoma Avenue because he wasn't cleaning his room.

"I take full responsibility for Jakari’s death. I should have never brought the gun into the room when we were fighting," Randell told Judge Joseph Wall Monday.

Randell told police he and Jakari were arguing when he picked up his gun, his son tried to wrestle the gun away and it fired, striking his son in the left cheek. 

Police evidence told a different story, that Jakari was shot from behind. Detectives determined that Randell's story didn't match the evidence police had, and he was charged with first-degree reckless homicide.

About a dozen supporters sat in the Milwaukee County Circuit courtroom Monday wearing "Justice for Jakari" T-shirts.

Letters read in court by family and friends of the victim painted the picture of a young kid who was searching for a relationship with his father.

"Randell could do no wrong in the eyes of Jakari," said Jakari's aunt, Michelle Villanueva.

"Everything I hoped and prayed for my brother left on Aug. 18, 2018," Jakari's sister, Alicia Villanueva, said. 

Contact Keith Schubert at (414) 223-5451 or kschubert@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @keithsch94