Milwaukee mother 'livid' after her son's killer mocks court, cuts off GPS and escapes
Rosslind Prescott-McClinton remembers the last words her son's killer said to her.
"I'm going to be free, you can't hold me down," she heard him say while they were both waiting for his trial to resume.
After Dwayne Chaney rapped those words Thursday morning, he left the courtroom, Prescott-McClinton said.
He walked out of the courthouse complex in downtown Milwaukee, cut off his GPS bracelet and hasn't been seen since.
"I am absolutely terrified because he is on the loose," Prescott-McClinton said. "We don't know if he's going to come after any of us."
Despite his absence, a jury still convicted Chaney of first-degree intentional homicide Friday in the fatal shooting of Michael J. Prescott Jr. The charge carries a mandatory life prison sentence.
RELATED:Murder defendant skips out, so Milwaukee jury convicts him as trial continues without him
RELATED:After a Milwaukee pastor's son was murdered, she opened a center in his name for kids to stay safe
Chaney, 25, was quickly charged in Prescott's killing in November 2015, but he eluded authorities for 19 months.
He was free because he had demanded a speedy trial. Prosecutors were not ready to go to trial by the deadline in September, in part because of problems with a key witness.
As a result, Circuit Judge Carolina Stark granted Chaney's request for a signature bond, which the prosecutor argued against it.
A signature, or personal recognizance, bond is a promise to appear for court proceedings, usually with a monetary penalty for failing to show up. In Chaney's case, the penalty was $250,000 — none of which he had to pay up front.
Chaney appeared for trial last Monday through Wednesday and fled before proceedings began on Thursday. Stark issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
"He was not afraid," Prescott-McClinton said. "Not one day did he show any fear or remorse, and that's what terrifies me."
Prescott-McClinton said she is "livid" with the criminal justice system.
"You have people who have small pretty crimes that are locked behind bars, yet you allow an accused murderer to run free, basically," she said.
Stark's court staff referred questions to Chief Judge Maxine White, who declined to comment Monday but said she will explain the decision once the case is over.
"I am not allowed to comment on a pending case," White said. "I don't want to jeopardize its completion."
The prosecutor on the case, Assistant District Attorney Karl Hayes, also declined to comment Monday.
Under state law, if a person requests a speedy trial, a judge cannot postpone a trial date because of prosecutors' failure to obtain witnesses, a lack of diligent preparation or because of the court calendar's "general congestion."
"He requested this 90-day speedy trial and just really made a mockery of the state," Prescott-McClinton said.
She said her family pressed prosecutors and court officials to find some other way to keep him in custody because of his past history of fleeing.
Milwaukee police say Chaney was seen on video getting into a 2012 white Toyota Scion xB with Wisconsin plates 970-YZT.
The U.S. Marshals Service also released a photo of 23-year-old Zuri London, who investigators believe may possibly be with Chaney.
As a pastor, Prescott-McClinton said she is relying on her faith and trusts in God that Chaney will be found.
"I don't want to see anyone else hurt," she said. "This guy has nothing to lose at this point."
Anyone with information about Chaney’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee police at (414) 935-7360.
