Cook County prosecutors accused an 18-year-old man of fatally stabbing and robbing the bartender at a Hyde Park lounge as he walked home from the bar late last month.
Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy on Sunday denied bail for Keante McShan, who is accused of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the Feb. 25 death of Diego Damis, 41.
Prosecutors indicated they had strong evidence tying McShan to the early morning slaying, including surveillance video that tracked his movements from the scene of the slaying to a nearby gas station and eventually to his home in the South Shore neighborhood. The actual stabbing was not captured on video, authorities said.
After a surveillance operation that ended with McShan’s arrest on Friday, police served a search warrant that they used to recover clothing he’d worn the night of the stabbing, as well as Damis’ wallet and bank card, prosecutors said during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.
On the same day as McShan’s arrest, Damis’ friends, family and co-workers gathered at The Cove lounge in Hyde Park to honor his memory, according to WGN-TV. Damis moved to Chicago from his native Italy in 2015 and was a popular member of the staff, according to news reports.
“We just don’t understand who did this to him and how you could do this to somebody, because you’re not human, you’re an animal. You deserve to be behind bars and that’s what we want, is to find justice for him,” Damis’ sister Claudia D’Amico told the TV station.
Damis had just been paid in cash and was walking home from the bar when surveillance captured McShan starting to follow him a short distance from the scene of the attack in the 4900 block of South Greenwood Avenue, authorities said. Around 4:50 a.m., Damis suffered multiple stab wounds and collapsed on the street, authorities said.
Prior to the attack, surveillance also captured McShan checking the area for unlocked car doors, authorities said.
“The emotions of finding out that (police) found someone, it’s a relief for the most part,” Cove co-manager Sonnie Kireta told the Tribune on Sunday. While prosecutors said Damis was at work the night he was killed, Kireta said that Damis was off work that evening, but often came in on his off nights. Damis was a seven-year regular at the bar before starting work there just over 18 months, according to Kireta.
But even on his off nights, Damis still helped out around the bar known for its colorful assortment of neighborhood regulars and pop-ins. “Diego was the greatest guy,” said Kireta, who set up a Gofundme for Damis’ family. “It’s cliché, but he was there for anyone who needed a shoulder or a hand, for sure.”
McShan is a young father with an eighth grade education who suffers from depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders, according to his court-appointed attorney. He was also wanted for an active juvenile arrest warrant for aggravated vehicular hijacking at the time.
Assistant Public Defender Kyle Morrison asked the judge to deny the state’s request for no bail, saying no DNA evidence tied his client to the slaying. But the judge found that McShan was a threat to the community.
McShan will return to court later this week.
