East St. Louis, Illinois – Kendrick A. Frazier, 35, and Kenwyn L. Frazier, 38, were convicted by a
federal jury for the Kidnapping of Kein Eastman that occurred on August 13, 2020. The verdict was
announced on Thursday, November 10, 2022, after a six-day jury trial.
Evidence presented at trial established that just before 7 p.m. on August 13, 2020, Kenwyn Frazier
forced Kein Eastman out of his grandmother’s house at gunpoint because he believed Eastman had
stolen from him a jeweled mouthpiece, known as a “grillz.” He drove Eastman in a Dodge Durango to
an apartment located on Kansas Avenue in East St. Louis and forced him to look for the grillz for
over an hour and a half. When Eastman couldn’t find it, Kenwyn Frazier called his brother, Kendrick
Frazier, to the apartment.
Shortly after Kendrick got there, the Frazier brothers forcibly pulled Eastman out of the apartment
at gunpoint threatening to shoot him if he did not take them to the grillz. They forced Eastman to
the ground, repeatedly kicking and threatening him. Eastman insisted he hadn’t taken it, pleading
with them not to shoot. Despite his pleas, Kendrick Frazier fired one shot at Eastman while he laid
on the ground. After the shooting, witnesses saw Eastman bleeding from his face as he ran from the
apartment complex. Kendrick and Kenwyn Frazier followed immediately after him in the Dodge Durango.
Two hours later, that Dodge Durango was found on fire by the East St. Louis Fire Department,
completely burned to the frame. According to other documents filed in the case, Eastman has not
been seen or heard from by family members or law enforcement since the night of the kidnapping.
“This guilty verdict represents long-awaited justice for the family of Kein Eastman,” said United
States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “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.”
“The ongoing commitment by ISP to reducing and preventing violence is built upon the outstanding
professional investigative work of our special agents and sustained by our deep relationships with
our law enforcement partners and the community,” said ISP Director Brendan Kelly. “The US
Attorney’s Office has been and continues to be critical to the sustained effectiveness of this
noble effort as seen in this case.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Summers and Zoe Gross.