Inset: Charles J. Leggett (Milwaukee County Jail). Background: The store where he allegedly killed the cashier over his pizza order (Google Maps).
A 39-year-old man in Wisconsin will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally shooting the cashier of a liquor and food store just weeks after the victim had welcomed his first child into the world, because he was angry about the way his pizza had been prepared.
A jury in Milwaukee County on Wednesday found Charles J. Leggett guilty on one count of first-degree intentional murder with a dangerous weapon and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in the slaying of 26-year-old Jamil I. Owies, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Jurors deliberated for less than 30 minutes before convicting Leggett on both charges levied against him. He is currently scheduled to appear before Circuit Judge David L. Borowski on Dec. 17 for his sentencing hearing.
As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the Milwaukee Police Department at about 11:50 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2024, responded to a 911 call at Action Food and Liquor in the 3400 block of N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive requesting an ambulance after hearing a gunshot and seeing the victim on the floor behind the counter.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located Owies suffering from what appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was unresponsive and without a pulse. Officers attempted lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and Owies was pronounced dead on the scene.
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An employee who was working at the time told police he worked at the shop as a cook and stock person. The employee was stacking coolers when Owies told him there was a pizza order. A short time later, the employee said Leggett came to the back of the store where he was cooking, but there were "too many objects in the way" for him to see Leggett clearly.
When Leggett returned to Owies at the counter, the two began "speaking loudly and arguing" for about a minute before the employee heard a gunshot followed by the sound of the door of the store opening and closing. He ran to the front of the store and found Owies "on the ground gasping for air," police wrote in a probable cause affidavit.
Security video from inside the store appears to show that Leggett did walk to the back after placing his pizza order before returning to the front and arguing with Owies. Police said the video "was of high quality" and that "the shooter's face clearly visible."
"Though the video does not have audio, it is apparent the shooter is upset, and begins to motion his hands at Owies," the affidavit states. "Owies appears to argue back, and then the shooter reaches his hand into his right pocket where the handle of a handgun can be seen protruding from his pocket. The shooter then positions himself at the counter, and abruptly reaches over the counter with his right hand with the handgun in hand. The shooter puts the gun to Owies' chest, shooting Owies, and then quickly runs out of the store, as Owies falls to the ground behind the counter."
Authorities located Leggett and placed him under arrest. During a post-Miranda interview, Leggett allegedly explained that he went to the store for pizza but "observed the worker was making his pizza with no gloves on" and demanded someone else remake his food while wearing gloves.
"The Defendant informed Owies it was unsanitary, then Owies became loud with the Defendant and said he would do something to the Defendant," the affidavit states. "[Police] asked the Defendant what he did, and the Defendant replied 'I shot him.' The Defendant stated he only shot one time, then ran out of the store and drove to a friends house and did not tell anyone what happened. He indicated he threw the clothes he was wearing out."
When he appears for his sentencing hearing next month, Leggett faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
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