CHICAGO—A Rockford man on trial in the death of a 2-year-old boy and the dumping of his dismembered remains in a Chicago lagoon took the witness stand and declared his innocence on May 22. He was acquitted the next day.
Prosecutors haven’t said how Kyrian Knox died, but allege 44-year-old Kamel Harris killed the toddler before scattering the boy’s weighted-down remains in the West Side lagoon.
The jury spent nine hours on deliberation over two days, the verdict was read on Thursday and Harris was found not guilty.
The trial was held at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse and lasted for 6 days. Harris was called to testify on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Kamel Harris was found not guilty on Thursday in the killing of 2-year-old Kyrian Knox…https://t.co/27g8aXn7ue pic.twitter.com/22kmhnXNcP
— Melissa Espana (@MLEspana) May 23, 2019
Harris spoke in quiet tones Wednesday as he described Kyrian as well-behaved and small for his age. Harris said Kyrian’s mother left him in Harris’ care in August 2015 as she and Harris’ daughter left for Iowa to set up new jobs. He told jurors three people later showed up at his residence, saying they were there to pick up Kyrian and allowed the boy to go.
Days later, the boy’s dismembered body was discovered in the lagoon.
Man Denies Killing Toddler, Dumping Body In Lagoon https://t.co/EcNFReyauE
— Chicago Daily News (@ChiDailyNews) May 23, 2019
Prosecutors earlier presented testimony from jailhouse informants who said they heard Harris admit to the killing while locked up on an unrelated matter in Winnebago County.
On Wednesday, Harris denied their testimony, suggesting they lied about the case for their own benefit.
A Rockford man on trial in the death of a 2-year-old boy and the dumping of his dismembered remains in a Chicago lagoon took the witness stand and declared his innocence. https://t.co/IoFzTtkQaE
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) May 23, 2019
Kyrian’s remains were found in September 2015 in the Garfield Park lagoon on Chicago’s West Side. The FBI positively matched the boy’s DNA with that of a dismembered body found in the lagoon two weeks before he was reported missing.
The toddler’s mother told police in 2015 that the child was staying with Harris and his girlfriend while she moved from Rockford to Iowa. In November 2015, police said Harris and his girlfriend had been uncooperative with the investigation.
Police Cmdr. Kevin Duffin said investigators found blood in the carpeting of a vehicle connected to Harris, and received a DNA match to the boy over the summer. He said police also spoke with witnesses who had information only those close to the killer would know.
He said Kyrian is believed to have been killed in Rockford, but Harris was charged in Cook County because the child’s body was found in Chicago and police in that city did extensive work on the case.
Man denies killing toddler, dumping body in Chicago lagoon https://t.co/UEWMfPu5kZ
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) May 23, 2019
NTD staff contributed to this report.
