EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Two East St. Louis men were convicted by a federal jury Thursday on kidnapping charges.
Kenwyn L. Frazier, 36, and Kendrick A. Frazier, 34, were found guilty of the kidnapping of Kein Eastman that occurred on Aug. 13, 2020. The verdict comes after a six-day jury trial.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois, at the trial established that before 7 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2020, Kenwyn Frazier forced Kein Eastman out of his grandmother's house at gunpoint, believing he stole his dental grill. Frazier drove Eastman in a Dodge Durango to an apartment on Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis to look for his personal property.
Kendrick Frazier arrived at the apartment and shortly after was seen with Kenwyn forcibly pulling Eastman out of the apartment at gunpoint after he looked for the dental grill for 90 minutes. Kendrick Frazier fired one shot at Eastman while on the ground.
Witnesses saw Eastman bleeding from his face, running from the apartment complex after the shooting. Kendrick and Kenwyn Frazier followed him in the same Dodge Durango.
Police found the vehicle two hours later on fire by the East St. Louis Fire Department, completely burned to the frame.
Eastman has not been seen or heard from by family members or law enforcement since the night of the kidnapping, according to court documents.
Arrest warrants were issued for the brothers in December 2020 and were captured by the U.S. Marshall Service in January 2021.
“This guilty verdict represents long-awaited justice for the family of Kein Eastman,” said United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe in a news release announcing the verdict. “I am proud of our office and law enforcement partners from the East St. Louis Police Department and the ISP PSEG unit for their commitment in seeing this case through to completion. I also commend the Eastman Family and members of the East St. Louis community who cooperated throughout the investigation to take a stand against this sort of senseless violence. These are the results we expect to see when dedicated public servants and community members work together to pursue even the most difficult of cases.”
No sentencing date has been set at this time for Kendrick and Kenwyn Frazier.
