Daeshaun Graves trial begins; accused of killing uncle, second man
Daeshaun Graves trial begins Wednesday
The trial for Daeshaun Graves began on Wednesday, Mach 18, who is accused of fatally shooting his uncle in July 2024 and another man weeks later in August.
MILWAUKEE - Opening statements and witness testimony began Wednesday, March 18, in the trial of a Milwaukee man accused of killing his uncle and, weeks later, shooting another man before driving off with the victim’s body and setting a vehicle on fire.
Graves heads to trial
What we know:
Prosecutors say Daeshaun Graves shot and killed Quincy Smith near 84th and Carmen in August 2024 after an argument inside a van. When officers arrived, they found a pool of blood but no body.
Daeshaun Graves
In total, Graves faces two first-degree reckless homicide charges, four bail jumping charges, arson and mutilating a corpse.
The incident
The backstory:
It was July 15, 2024. Prosecutors said Daeshaun Graves shot and killed his Uncle Darrell Harbour near 36th and Courtland. The shooting was caught on nearby surveillance cameras.
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Harbour later died at the hospital.
It is unclear where Graves was in the days that followed that homicide. But weeks later, on Aug. 4, prosecutors said Graves pulled the trigger again, and it did not end there.
Quincy Smith, 31, was shot near 84th and Carmen in Milwaukee. Prosecutors said Graves shot Smith after a fight, Smith fell back into a van, a van that was stolen hours earlier, and Graves drove off with Smith's head still hanging out.
Police later found the van torched near 34th and Auer. Smith's body was found inside.
Two days later, police found graves at a rented-out Airbnb.
Trial begins
What they're saying:
"Appears to be a tire mark and a trail of blood going north on 84th Street," said Cedric McFadden, a Milwaukee Police Department detective.
Investigators followed that trail.
"Where did it take you?" asked Assistant District Attorney Dan Flaherty.
Milwaukee man accused of killing uncle, second man, headed to trial
Prosecutors say a Milwaukee man killed his uncle, and then weeks later killed again.
"Roughly two blocks, stopping just short of Florist Avenue," McFadden said.
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Police later discovered a burned-out van nearby, along with Smith’s body.
Iyonna Crawley, who was with Smith at the time, testified she had just met Graves days earlier.
"I’m getting ready to stand up, and I heard a shot," Crawley said.
She told jurors the two men had been fighting over her before the shooting.
"I was just looking at Quincy’s body. I was in shock, I didn’t know what to do. I had just met Daeshaun and I didn’t know if he was about to shoot me next. Daeshaun got in the driver’s seat of the car, said ‘I’m sorry’ and he pulled off," Crawley said.
Another woman later agreed to testify for the state.
"Does she have interest in this matter? Is she credible? Why is she saying what she said?" asked defense attorney Scott Anderson.
What's next:
Testimony in the case is set to resume Thursday.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the criminal complaint associated with this case, and previous FOX6 News coverage.