MILWAUKEE, WI – A Milwaukee man who struck his girlfriend and her young daughter with a car and fled the scene, leaving the child fatally injured in the street, has been sentenced to two decades in prison following a guilty plea tied to the 2024 crash.
Donald Crayton, 33, was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to hit-and-run involving death, hit-and-run involving great bodily harm, and reckless homicide. The charges stem from an April 30, 2024 collision that killed 4-year-old Zekani Hymes-Wilson and seriously injured her mother, 27-year-old Gloria Hymes.
According to a criminal complaint, Hymes and her daughter were crossing a Milwaukee street that morning to pick up food from a nearby Domino’s when a black Chevrolet Impala struck them at a high rate of speed. Surveillance video captured the impact, showing both victims thrown into the air before landing on the roadway.
Crash aftermath and identification of driver
Court documents state Crayton, who was identified as Hymes’ live-in boyfriend, stopped briefly after the crash along with his sister. The pair parked the vehicle and ran toward the victims, but after about a minute, Crayton returned to the car and drove away, leaving the child and her mother in the street.
A responding officer attempted to revive Zekani, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Hymes was transported to a hospital with serious injuries, including multiple fractures to her right leg.
While at the hospital, Hymes identified Crayton as the driver and confirmed the vehicle involved belonged to him. The Impala was later found abandoned near railroad tracks.
Police located Crayton later that same day in another vehicle driven by 23-year-old Adriana Merkel. According to the complaint, Merkel led officers on a high-speed chase before crashing. Crayton attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended.
Statements and prior driving record
Merkel told investigators that Crayton said “he couldn’t live with this on his conscience,” though she said he did not initially disclose details of the crash. She also told police Crayton asked for help to “leave” after authorities located his abandoned vehicle.
After his arrest, officers reported that Crayton was “crying uncontrollably” and said he “wanted to go to the psych ward.”
The criminal complaint also detailed Crayton’s prior driving history, including that he “has never been issued a drivers license.” He had previous convictions for operating without a license in 2017 and 2023, and in 2019 was convicted in a separate fatal crash, for which he served 10 months in jail followed by three years of probation.
During sentencing, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello addressed Crayton’s expression of remorse, referencing his prior case. “[I]t doesn’t ring so true when you say it on a previous date and don’t change your behavior… I don’t know if I buy the remorse,” Crivello said.
Crayton also faced additional charges, including knowingly operating a vehicle while suspended causing death and great bodily harm, resisting or obstructing an officer, and soliciting someone to flee law enforcement. Those charges were dismissed but read into the record during sentencing.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered that Crayton is permanently prohibited from driving.
