Milwaukee Homicide Trial Nears Conclusion as State Rests Case Against Double Shooting Suspect Daeshaun Graves

Daeshaun Graves homicide trial heads to closing arguments as the state rests and the defendant declines to testify about the 2024 shooting deaths.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 19, 2026, 7:02 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from FOX6 News Milwaukee

Final Prosecution Witness Recounts Post-Killing Admissions

Prosecutors concluded their case on Thursday with pivotal testimony from Jakia Gates, a woman who admitted to harboring and assisting Daeshaun Graves following the 2024 violence. Gates described a harrowing scene in August of that year when Graves appeared at her residence suffering from severe burns and physical trauma. During her testimony, she revealed that while she provided care for him in a rented Airbnb, Graves eventually confessed to the shooting death of Quincy Smith, an incident he claimed began as a physical altercation before escalating into lethal gunfire.

A Pattern of Consecutive Violent Incidents

The charges against Graves encompass two distinct shootings that occurred within a month of each other. In addition to the August killing, Gates testified that Graves admitted to the July 15, 2024, shooting of his own uncle, Darrell Harbour. Surveillance footage from the area of 36th and Courtland captured the moment Harbour was struck, and the victim later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. These admissions, coupled with the state's forensic evidence, form the backbone of the prosecution's effort to link Graves to a spree of high-intensity violence across Milwaukee.

Forensic Evidence of Mutilation and Arson

Beyond the homicide charges, Graves is accused of attempting to destroy evidence related to the killing of Quincy Smith. Evidence presented during the trial indicated that after Smith was shot, the defendant drove away with the body inside the vehicle. The car was later discovered abandoned and burned, leading to additional charges of arson and mutilating a corpse. Prosecutors utilized these details to illustrate a deliberate attempt by the defendant to evade detection and obstruct the subsequent police investigation into the second homicide.