FITCHBURG, Wis. — A Verona Area High School student was shot and killed by a school mate during a fight over marijuana, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court.
Myjee T. Sanders, 15, of Verona, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and attempted armed robbery. He is suspected of killing 17-year-old Shay Watson in August. Sanders was arrested last week, but was formally charged as an adult on Monday.
The Fitchburg Police Department and News 3 Now initially did not release his identify due to his age, but it is News 3 Now’s policy to identify suspects who are charged in adult court. The teen’s bail was set at $500,000 during Monday’s hearing.
Watson was found dead at a home along the 2700 block of Lyman Lane in Fitchburg. The Dane County Medical Examiner’s office said he suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head, according to the complaint.
Detectives used information pulled from Watson’s cell phone in their investigation. They said it appeared Watson was selling marijuana on Snapchat the day he died.
According to the criminal complaint, Watson was messaging with a Snapchat account belonging to Sanders the day he died. During an interview last fall, Sanders told detectives he owed Watson $100 for marijuana.
Sanders told detectives he was home all day on August 25, the day Watson was shot. His mother said she knew he was home at least after 6 p.m.
Detectives said Watson shared his address with Sanders through Snapchat around 5:25 p.m. Sanders denied going to Waton’s home the day he died, the complaint said.
Detectives examined material provided by Snapchat for the account linked to Sanders. According to the complaint, detectives said video clips show Sanders holding guns and rapping along to a song about shooting someone in the head.
Earlier this month, a man arrested in Illinois told police he was with Sanders when he shot Watson. This man had been under investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force. The criminal complaint does not detail why police believed this man played a “potential role” in the killing.
The man said he drove Sanders to Watson’s neighborhood and the teen told him to park a block away from Watson’s home. He also said Sanders and Watson struggled over marijuana and that Sanders shot Watson as the older teen was walking back toward his house, the complaint said.
Last week, a spokeswoman for the Verona Area School District confirmed that Sanders was a student in the district for part of the school year, but could not comment on this incident since it is an open and active investigation.
Watson is remembered by friends as a young man who was quick to laugh and ready to take on the world.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.