Fugitive brothers captured in Belleville, charged in armed East St. Louis kidnapping
United States marshals on Wednesday captured a pair of brothers accused of kidnapping and shooting an East St. Louis man last month.
Federal charges were issued against Kenwyn I. Frazier 36, and Kendrick A. Frazier, 34, both of East St. Louis, on December 21. Prosecutors say the brothers took Kein Eastman, 36, at gunpoint from his home and later shot him in the head.
Investigators had been searching for the Frazier brothers ever since. Marshals with the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force located them at about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday on Hillwood Drive in Belleville.
Eastman’s body still has not been found.
“I am very happy to have them off the street,” said U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Illinois Brad Maxwell. “They committed a violent, heinous crime. Southern Illinois is safer by them being incarcerated.”
According to federal charging documents, on August 13 Kendrick Frazier accused Eastman of stealing a decorative dental appliance and led him at gunpoint to an apartment in the 1200 block of Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis.
Eastman had been in the apartment earlier in the day, but denied stealing the mouthpiece, police said at the time.
“Kendrick Frazier is alleged to have joined in the kidnapping later in the day,” according to a release from U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft’s office.
About 90 minutes after their arrival, Kendrick Frazier led Eastman back outside. A doorbell camera captured video of Eastman attempting to escape before Frazier shot him in the head with a .45-caliber handgun, charging documents say.
An SUV that was used to take Eastman from his home to the apartment was later found burned.
If convicted, the Frazier brothers each could face up to life in prison and a fine up to $1 million, according to a U.S. Attorney’s office release. No court date has been set in this case as yet.
A third person, Jasmine M. Crawford, 23, of East St. Louis, also was charged with obstruction of justice for tampering with the doorbell camera, Weinhoeft said. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, the release stated.
East St. Louis Police and the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group participated in the investigation, according to a release from from Weinhoeft’s office.
“We thank them for their courage and for seeing to it that those charged with the most serious crimes see their day in court,” Weinhoeft said.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 4:17 PM.
