A Milwaukee man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a Manitowoc man who was a witness against him in a drug case

MANITOWOC - Dajuan B. Deshazer, a 47-year-old Milwaukee man, was sentenced to life in state prison earlier this month for shooting and killing a man in 2017 who was a witness against Deshazer in a narcotics case. 

Deshazer's sentencing hearing took place Jan. 5. He was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide following a three-day trial. He was also convicted of possession of a firearm as a felon and felony bail-jumping. Deshazer was sentenced to five years in prison and three years in prison, respectively. All three sentences are to be served consecutively, but he will not be eligible for parole. 

According to the criminal complaint, Manitowoc police responded to a shooting outside a residence in the 700 block of South 15th Street on May 19, 2017. They found a 44-year-old Manitowoc man who had been shot multiple times, and he was flown to a Green Bay hospital. 

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The victim had previously filed a report with the Manitowoc Police Department that year, according to the criminal complaint, about threats that were being made against him and his family. At the time of the shooting, the victim was a witness in a case against Deshazer who was charged with delivering cocaine in December 2016. Deshazer had been released from police custody on a personal recognizance bond. 

Deshazer was arrested in 2019 as a suspect in the shooting and charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Multiple delays with scheduling caused his trial to take place two years later, starting Oct. 11. After a three-day trial and 4½ hours of deliberations, the jury declared Deshazer was guilty of all three felony charges.

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Contact Alisa Schafer at aschafer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisaMSchafer.