An arraignment hearing for a person accused of killing a 13-year-old boy nearly a decade ago will be held later this month.
That’s the result of a very brief hearing in Tazewell County Circuit Court where Keith A. Brackett made an initial appearance on the murder allegations.
Brackett, 48, wasn’t in the courtroom, rather appearing via video conference from the county jail. Brackett was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with strangling and then hiding the body of Robert “Bonzai” Bee in a wooded area off Illinois Route 29.
During the initial appearance, Brackett requested the court address her as a woman.
The charges — murder and concealment of a homicidal death — allege that Brackett asphyxiated the boy and then hid his remains in a wooded area of property he was maintaining.
Brackett, who was recently paroled from the Illinois Department of Corrections, was arrested Wednesday morning and served with the warrants.
The first-degree murder charges carry a possible 20 to 60-year prison term. The concealment of a homicide carries a possible 10-year prison term.
Prosecutors have asked Presiding Judge Chris Doscotch to order Brackett held pending the outcome of the allegations. However, Public Defender Luke Taylor said his office wasn’t ready to proceed on that hearing on Thursday.
Taylor said there were around 4,000 pages of discovery—evidence—that would be delivered to his office after the hearing.
As such, Taylor said his office would allow Brackett to concede detention without prejudice, meaning she could come back at another time and ask to be released. That’s an important legal distinction. Once a detention is ordered, a person can only contest it if new evidence is presented.
Hellbound and Down 