The Cook County State's Attorney announced a seven-count indictment this morning against four workers at historic Burr Oak Cemetery who had been accused in an elaborate grave selling scheme.
Carolyn Towns, 49; Keith Nicks, 45; his brother Terrence Nicks, 39; and Maurice Dailey, 59, were originally charged with dismemberment of a human body last month when authorities announced the group had plundered old graves and hauled the human remains to a weedy dump in an unused section of the Alsip cemetery to make room for new graves.
The indictments of all four added charges of aggravated theft of $100,000 to $500,000 from a place of worship, unlawful removal of grave stones, desecration of human remains, unlawful removal of deceased human beings from a burial ground and conspiracy to remove human remains. The crimes occurred between September 2003 to July 8, 2009, prosecutors said.
In a court hearing, assistant state's attorney John Mahoney said that over 1,200 human bones were discovered at the cemetery. Forensic tests on those remains have not yet been completed.
Towns, the cemetery manager, allegedly masterminded the grisly scheme. Keith Nicks, an employee since 1992, was the gravediggers' foreman, while Terrence Nicks was a dump truck operator. Dailey, an employee for 25 years, ran a backhoe, authorities said.
The two brothers were shackled in court.
Dailey, who is out on bond, had "just been following orders," his attorney, Tom Needham, said.
"He was the lowest man on the totem pole," Needham said.
The practice of removing bodies from graves had occurred since he started working there, Needham said. Needham claimed Dailey frequently questioned why he was digging new plots where bones already were buried.
"My client wasn't making decisions about ‘We're going to dig here,' '' Needham said. " . . . He was taking orders.''
The most serious charges carry a 6 to 30 year sentence
