Brothers Found Guilty In Burr Oak Cemetery Desecration Case
CHICAGO (AP) — Two brothers accused of digging up graves, dumping human remains and reselling plots at a suburban Chicago cemetery were found guilty Wednesday of desecration, removal of buried remains and removal of headstone charges.
Cook County prosecutors alleged cemetery employees Keith Nicks, 51, and Terrence Nicks, 44, engaged in the "cold and callous" acts between 2003 and 2009 at the historic Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. The graveyard contains the burial site of lynching victim Emmett Till and blues singers Willie Dixon and Dinah Washington, and former heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.
Separate juries heard the evidence against the brothers, who were taken into custody after being convicted.
Prosecutors say the scheme was masterminded by the cemetery's then-director, Carolyn Towns, and was prompted by the belief the facility was becoming overcrowded.
The "rogue crew broke open graves, crush caskets, scoop human remains and dump them in the back of the cemetery with the rest of the garbage," Assistant State's Attorney Eric Leafblad said of the defendants.
The men took advantage of the unmarked graves in the cemetery, according to prosecutors. The defendants often "double stacked" graves on top of each other without telling the families of those burying their loved ones.
Prosecutors contended Keith Nicks, the cemetery's grounds foreman, directed his brother and backhoe operator Maurice Dailey to illegally double-stack graves and throw human remains on a mound of debris in the back of the cemetery.
During testimony Wednesday, Keith Nicks said he was always "strict" about following the rules and regulations of the cemetery and making sure the families who were burying their loved ones "came first."
He blamed the desecration on three disgruntled underlings at the cemetery, adding he wanted to discipline them when he learned of their actions.
"They cut a deal to frame Keith Nicks," defense attorney Tony Peraica said of Willie Esper Jr., Fred Stanback and Kenyatta Bridges, who were prosecution witnesses. Burr Oak was "not well kept. There were problems. Is that Keith's fault?"
Prosecutors contended Keith Nicks was the "boss man" and "rogue leader" of the "gang of ghouls."
During closing arguments, Assistant State's Attorney Nick Trutenko said the disrespectful treatment of the human remains was a "line the devil wouldn't even cross."
"This is the face of the unrepentant," Trutenko said as he stood over Terrance Nicks. "This is the face of the guilty."
Dailey, 64, is awaiting trial.
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