Jurors found a 21-year-old Milwaukee man guilty of fatally shooting his uncle and another man in separate crimes nearly two years ago.
Daeshaun Graves sat quietly, showing no reaction, as Circuit Court Judge Laura Crivello read the verdicts on March 20, the final day of his trial.
He stared straight ahead, not making eye contact with the jurors, as Crivello polled them individually on their decision.
Graves was convicted of first-degree reckless homicide in the July 15, 2024, killing of his uncle, Darrell Antwon Harbour.
He also was found guilty of shooting and killing Quincy Smith, 31, about three weeks later, on Aug. 4, 2024, near North 84th Street and Carmen Avenue.
The jury, made up of seven women and five men, also convicted Graves of four bail jumping charges, arson and mutilating a corpse.
Graves was out on bail in an unrelated 2023 armed robbery at the time of both shootings.
Harbour, 39, was shot to death near North 36th Street and West Courtland Avenue during a dispute with Graves over a dog.
Assistant District Attorney Daniel Flaherty presented video during the four-day trial that showed Harbour being shot.
Flaherty argued Graves also shot and killed Quincy Smith, 31, about three weeks later, on Aug. 4, 2024, near North 84th Street and Carmen Avenue.
In that incident, Graves shot Smith after a fight. Smith fell back into a van that had been stolen a few hours earlier.
Prosecutors say then Graves drove away with Smith’s body inside the van. He drove it to North 34th Street and West Auer Avenue and set it on fire in an effort to destroy evidence.
Smith’s body was badly burned, making identifying him difficult at the outset. Investigators eventually were able ID him by a single fingerprint, Flaherty said.
Graves was out on bail in connection in an unrelated 2023 armed robbery at the time of the shootings, online court records show.
Flaherty told jurors he didn’t believe Graves meant to kill either man, but that his conduct in both incidents was reckless and demonstrated an utter disregard for human life.
Scott Anderson, the Milwaukee lawyer representing Graves, told the jury that self-defense was an element in both killings. He urged jurors to consider a lesser charge of negligent handling of a dangerous weapon, if they were to convict.
That charge carries a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment.
Sentencing will be May 21.
Graves’ trial had been scheduled to begin March 15, but was delayed a day when the courthouse was closed by a blizzard.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man found guilty of killing uncle, another man in 2024
Reporting by Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
