Milwaukee mother of 8 was killed after an arduous custody battle over her 3 youngest kids
The man who shot and killed Lakeyshia Timmons outside her home Monday had recently lost an arduous and yearslong custody battle over their three children, according to charges filed Thursday and other court records.
Ronald E. Fuller, 52, of Milwaukee once had primary custody of the three girls, now ages 3, 5 and 6, but had always been forced by court order to share custody with Timmons, records show.
The two parents appeared in Milwaukee County courtrooms over custody issues at least 10 times over a period of 4½ years. Relations had been up and down, but as recently as August 2022, both of them agreed they were working well together, records said.
But things soured, again, soon after that, with Fuller making unfounded accusations in court about safety issues in Timmons’ home and about her mental health. At one point, he told a court-appointed investigator that a possible “war is starting,” describing it as “World War III.”
After a hearing in late February – during which Fuller’s remarks were reported – Milwaukee County Court Commissioner Jordan Karth awarded Timmons sole custody and primary placement of her children, but still afforded Fuller custody every other weekend.
That decision was made even though a court-appointed investigator had unspecified concerns about Fuller after speaking with the three children, records said. Fuller did not allow an investigator to visit his home and was unable to answer basic questions in court about what grade his children were in and when they started school in the mornings.
Little over a month later, on Monday, Fuller waited outside Timmons’ home and watched as she left to take their children to school, according to a criminal complaint. When she returned, he approached her and shot her in the street.
“This is all about the kids, her babies,” Timmons’ mother, Latanilia Timmons, told the Journal Sentinel. “She feared for her life from him.”
Lakeyshia Timmons, 42, was a working nurse who raised eight children, four them now adults, all on her own. Her family hailed her as “the best mother ever.”
The same investigator who reported concerns about Fuller in February, meanwhile, said the children “were doing great” and their mother’s home was well kept. There were no concerns about their well-being under her watch.
The family said they are planning a press event Friday evening to discuss Fuller’s harassment of Timmons and how he “manipulated” the court system against her by repeatedly instigating custody disputes.
A GoFundMe page set up by the family had raised nearly $5,000 by Thursday evening.
Online court records show that in October 2023, Timmons petitioned for a harassment restraining order against Fuller. The petition was denied the same day. No other records over the matter were available at the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
Fuller was charged Thursday with first-degree intentional homicide and is in the Milwaukee County Jail with bail set at $250,000, according to online records. He has not yet been assigned a permanent attorney.
Fuller was identified by another one of Timmons’ children after they saw him flee the area, the complaint said. Surveillance video captured the suspect in alleyways and circling Timmons’ home for almost a half-hour before the shooting.
In an interview with police, Fuller said he obtained Timmons’ address from a relative of the family. He said he was seconds away from leaving the area before she got home, according to the complaint. Had he fled, she would have seen him, which he did not want.
He said he had no reason to kill her and there was no misunderstanding between the two.
Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man killed Milwaukee mother of 8 after custody battle, police say
