A 66-year-old man, previously convicted of first-degree murder as a juvenile 50 years ago, is now facing accusations of brutally beating and stabbing his 88-year-old mother to death and concealing her body behind a bookcase in the basement of their Far South Side residence.
Kevan Works has been detained following an order from Cook County Judge Rivanda Doss Beal, facing charges of first-degree murder and concealing the homicidal death of his mother, Daniest Graves.
According to Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara, Graves went silent on March 27, failing to send her routine “good morning” texts to her sister, missing work, and skipping a planned grocery outing. Her sister became concerned when Graves did not appear for Palm Sunday church services and decided to visit the home Graves shared with Works. When she arrived, Works appeared “startled” and prevented her from entering, Pekara stated.
Graves’ sister requested a wellness check from the police. Works told the officers he had not seen his mother since she left for work on March 27 and claimed to have filed a missing person report, though he could not provide a report number. He also stated that her bedroom door was locked and showed reluctance in turning on the house lights or providing details about Graves’ car.
Upon the request of the CPD, Chicago Fire Department personnel forced entry into Graves’ bedroom. Though she was absent, her phone was found inside, prompting police to launch a missing person investigation.
On March 30, investigators found Graves’ car in a West Side parking lot. Pekara mentioned they were led to a witness who claimed to have given Works and an unidentified White woman crack cocaine on March 27, the day Graves disappeared, in exchange for using the car.
Following multiple interviews and visits to Graves’ home, police executed a search warrant on April 7. In the basement, they discovered a room obscured by a large bookcase, Pekara reported. Once the bookcase was moved, cadaver dogs alerted to the presence of human remains. Investigators found Graves’ body inside, wrapped in a large area rug and partially enclosed in black garbage bags secured with duct tape. The basement, where Works’ bedroom was also located, contained over a dozen cans of air freshener.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Graves sustained a catastrophic head injury and 17 blunt force injuries.
Ring video footage from a neighbor’s home indicated that only Works entered the house between March 26 and April 7, except for an unknown woman who was present for approximately 90 minutes on March 27, Pekara noted.
Works has an extensive criminal background. Beyond his 1976 juvenile adjudication for first-degree murder, he has felony convictions for forgery in 1980, 1981, and 1987; burglary in 1980; and a federal bank robbery in 2007, according to Pekara.
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