Milwaukee’s music scene was rocked as local rapper Frank Mosley, known as Lil Frank, received a 40-year sentence on November 22, 2024. The sentencing followed a harrowing high-speed police chase in Wauwatosa last year that claimed the lives of 32-year-old Erin Mogensen and her unborn child. The tragedy has left deep scars on the community and renewed debates over urban safety and law enforcement policies.
It all started on November 2, 2023, when police stopped Mosley for driving a stolen BMW without license plates. The 30-year-old rapper didn’t stop but instead led the police on a high-speed chase through suburban Wauwatosa streets on Thursday evening. At one juncture, Mosley reached an astonishing speed of 116 mph, while the limit was 35 mph.
It was at the intersection, however, that the chase ended in tragedy when Mosley’s car plowed into Mogensen’s. The BMW, which was traveling at 78 mph at the moment of the collision, gave Mogensen and her unborn child little to no chance of survival. Gruesome it was how, immediately after such an accident, Mosley fled the scene on foot with a trail of evidence, in the end, that tainted his conviction.
Investigators finally tracked him down because he left behind a Walmart receipt in the wrecked BMW. A security camera video confirms this because he had a partial tattoo that turned out to be highly distinctive. This accumulation of evidence, with the added fact that Mosley fled the accident scene, provided an incriminating picture at his trial.
Mosley faced charges including:
- First-degree reckless homicide
- First-degree reckless homicide of an unborn child
- Hit-and-run involving death
- Fleeing or eluding an officer
The jury found him guilty on all counts. Milwaukee County Judge Sarah Hernandez underscored the devastating consequences of Mosley’s reckless decisions in presiding over the case. Alongside his 40-year prison sentence, Mosley will serve 10 years of supervised release, marking a harsh but necessary outcome.
The incident has sparked outrage and grief across Milwaukee. Reckless driving, a growing concern in the city, has become a focal point for local activists and policymakers. Community leaders describe the deaths of Mogensen and her unborn child as a stark reminder of the lethal risks posed by high-speed pursuits in densely populated areas.
“This tragedy goes beyond individual accountability—it’s a wake-up call for us all,”
said community advocate Lisa Warren.
“We need stronger measures to address reckless driving and rethink when and how police chases are conducted.”
Mosley’s lawyers attempted to contest the allegations by downplaying the case through an argument of recklessness. They argued that Mosley’s criminal actions did not rise to the level of recklessness required for a guilty verdict in the first-degree case. Attempts were made to jeopardize, among other things, pivotal evidence presented—such as police testimonies—and to portray Mosley as panicked rather than as a person with intent to harm.
However, the prosecution was able to counter with overwhelming evidence of Mosley’s blatant disregard for public safety, not least his decision to flee the scene after the fatal crash.
The case once again focuses attention on the debate over police pursuit policy. While officers said that the stolen vehicle and Mosley’s erratic driving warranted the chase, critics claim the tactics are too dangerous in urban areas, risking the lives of innocent bystanders. The police can lawfully operate in high-speed pursuits when the public’s safety requires such an intervention.
However, many departments have ruled that pursuits must be balanced against the degree of danger, applying the principle of necessity. Decisions in cases like Sykes v. United States have supported such pursuits as legal when violent crimes are concerned while the greater collateral ramifications become contentious.
As Milwaukee grapples with the aftermath, the incident serves as both a cautionary tale and a rallying cry for change. Legal experts suggest that urban policy reforms—from stricter penalties for reckless driving to revised police pursuit protocols—could help prevent future tragedies.
For Erin Mogensen’s grieving family and a shaken community, the pain of loss is a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the urgent need for collective responsibility.
“We owe it to Erin, her child, and everyone impacted to learn from this,”
said local resident Marcus Hill.
“Safety isn’t just a police issue; it’s a community one.”
