PEKIN — Keith Brackett, the suspect accused of killing a 13-year-old boy in 2016, appeared very briefly in Tazewell County Court on Monday morning.
Brackett, who was handcuffed and wearing a black and white jail uniform, stood momentarily before a judge Monday to be assigned a new court date of July 16. Brackett is charged with killing 13-year-old Robert Bee in 2016.
Bee went missing in November 2016 and was later found dead on property owned by Brackett’s aunt in July 2017. Brackett has plead not guilty to the charges.
Brackett, a transgender woman, was lead into court by herself by Tazewell County Sheriff’s deputies and was seated a row behind other inmates who were led into court together, handcuffed wrist to wrist. Brackett did not speak out loud in court and spent most of her time conferring quietly with attorneys.
The court identifies Brackett as a woman, as do Tazewell County Jail records and the Illinois Department of Corrections.
What we know in the Robert Bee-Keith Brackett case
Robert Bee was 13 years old when his mother reported him missing on November 18, 2016, to the Pekin Police Department.
Prior to Bee’s body being found on land owned by Brackett’s aunt in July 2017, police had interviewed Brackett multiple times about Bee’s disappearance.
Bracket and Bee had been known to be friends, detectives learned. Bee would frequent Brackett’s home when he’d skip school, sometimes spending the night.
More than 4,000 pages have been entered into discovery on this case.
Bee’s skeletal remains were found in July 2017 on land owned by Brackett’s aunt Mary Baize, who told investigators that Brackett had been maintaining the land for her.
A search of Brackett’s Pekin home turned up rope consistent with that found at the scene, duct tape, electrical tape and restraints often used for sex acts.
An autopsy of Bee’s body determined he died of homicidal violence, likely caused by asphyxiation.
Brackett’s previous prison time explained
Brackett served seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for a burglary that occurred in the spring 2018.
While investigating the burglary, a confidential informant told police that Brackett had told them she was going to take a train to New York to try and get asylum at the British Embassy. Later, the confidential informant told investigators Brackett had been in Maine.
A GPS tracker later pinged Brackett’s phone in Bangor, Maine, where she was found living in a homeless encampment. She was arrested and told police she fled Illinois because of the burglary charges.
Brackett served seven years in prison and was paroled in 2025 for a short time before being arrested and charged in Bee’s death.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Keith Brackett appears in Tazewell County court in Robert Bee murder case
Reporting by JJ Bullock and Zach Roth, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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