Highlights:
- Two detectives questioned Kasim Baker for connection in the murder of Daniel Smiley.
- Detective Burkee found a knife that was half-covered with a towel.
- On March 25, 2019, Kasim Baker surrendered and accepted all his crimes.
Inside Story
On Monday morning, Kasim Baker got interviewed for connection in the death of Daniel Smiley. The questions were asked by Morris Police Detective Paul Burke and Morris Police Detective Sergeant Alicia Steffes.
The Assistant State’s Attorney Pete Sienna called Burke to the stand before playing the video. He testified that on March 8, 2019, when he arrived at 815 Twilight Drive, 4 Morris Police officers were present on the crime scene.
He also identified the deceased’s name as Daniel Smiley. Then he said that he had cut on his body, and he was drenched with blood. He also testified to the court that he saw three inches of the knife exposed under the couch of the hall, and the towel was covering the rest of the weapon.
He said at that time, he decided to alert Det. Sgt. Steffes and told her that it would be a homicide case investigation.
Later on, Steffes contacted the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Burke added that the Crime Scene Investigation Unit arrived after an hour. Before the unit arrived, the Morris cops interrogated the neighborhood and asked whether they had seen anything suspicious that day.
After that, the CSI’s arrival, Burke noticed a wall in the living room had discoloration, which indicated that there used to be a TV set on that wall.
The TV was nowhere to be found in the apartment, and one neighbor said that the TV was there in the living room the day before the incident. Later on, the CSI unit inspected the knife and took swabs of blood from it and other things like the kitchen faucet handle and a dish soap bottle.
During the investigation, a woman named Jackie showed up in several interviews. Burke said that on March 18, he found Jackie and interviewed her again. While questioning her, Kasim Baker’s name came up along with Daphne Bryant, aka Sky and Michael Carson.
Verdict
The 33 years old Kasim Baker got indicted with the 2 counts of first-degree murder of 55 years old Smiley on March 18, 2019. Later on, Burkee also found a police report filed by Joliet Police that involved the suspect and slices on his hand.
On March 22, 2019, the court issued an arrest warrant for Baker, and he surrendered on March 25, 2019, after Burke and Steffes interviewed him.
Stay tuned for more news.
