A judge this week sentenced a man to 40 years in prison for murdering a beloved Hyde Park bartender while he had three felony cases pending in juvenile court, two involving illegal gun possession and one involving armed carjacking.
But Keante McShan, 23, may face even longer prison term. According to court documents, he plans to enter a plea next week in an unrelated kidnapping case.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows McShan inspecting parked car doors in the 4900 block of South Greenwood Avenue to see if they were unlocked before spotting Diego Damis, 41, who was walking home from his job at The Cove Lounge at 5 a.m. on February 25, 2022.
Prosecutors claimed McShan approached Damis, repeatedly stabbed him, and stole his wallet, cash, and bank card. Damis was shown on video kneeling on the grass near the pavement as the attacker fled. He then fell backward and lay there for over an hour before a passerby noticed him and phoned for help.
Surveillance video allegedly saw McShan returning to check car doors as he left the scene following the shooting. Prosecutors claim he used Damis’ credit card to purchase a box of Newport cigarets from a petrol station shortly after the incident. The purchase was recorded on video.
Investigators used a series of CCTV recordings to trace down the alleged murderer to a South Side apartment complex. They looked up the address in a law enforcement database and discovered that McShan resided there and was wanted on juvenile warrants. Detectives also determined that images and videos of McShan from earlier occurrences corresponded to the individual shown in the CCTV film, according to prosecutors.
Police set up surveillance surrounding the apartment building and arrested McShan as he exited. According to authorities, he was wearing many of the same distinguishing clothing items as the attacker, including a multicolored hoodie. Officers found other clothing related with the killer, a knife, and other evidence in McShan’s apartment, including Damis’ wallet, debit card, and Ventra card, according to prosecutors.
On Thursday, McShan pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to four decades by Judge John Lyke. By law, he must serve the entire 40 years.
McShan’s kidnapping case was filed two years after he was arrested for murder. Details of the case were not immediately available, but court records suggest that other defendants included other jail inmates, including one who was awaiting trial for an unrelated murder.
Leave a Reply