Keith DeWitt Davis, Kidnapping and Assaulting Women, Illinois 2016

CHICAGO — In a shocking turn of events, a Chicago man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for kidnapping and assaulting three women he met online. The heinous crimes took place in vacant buildings in Calumet City, Ill., during the summer of 2016.

The defendant, Keith DeWitt Davis, 31, used a pretext of engaging in consensual, commercial sex acts to lure the women to the vacant buildings. However, once there, he physically assaulted each of the women and raped two of them. Davis displayed a handgun and pointed it at one of the victims, and he displayed a wrench or pipe in the two other incidents.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Will County Safe Streets Task Force. Substantial assistance was provided by the Calumet City Police Department, Hazel Crest Police Department, Midlothian Police Department, South Bend, Ind., Police Department, and the St. Joseph County, Ind., Prosecutor’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Abigail L. Peluso argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum, “Defendant’s crime was vicious. Defendant showed a complete disregard for human life and respect for a person’s dignity.”

On 2019, Davis pleaded guilty to three counts of kidnapping for sexual gratification. U.S. District Judge Harry D. Leinenweber imposed the sentence after a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.

“This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of online predators and the importance of vigilance when interacting with strangers online,” said a spokesperson for the FBI. “We hope that this sentence brings some measure of justice to the victims and their families.”

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