The young mother’s death came in unusual circumstances when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took the case from Hennepin County prosecutors and handed it over to Attorney General Keith Ellison amid public criticism that the original plea deal was illegal. The final three people charged in the killing have pleaded guilty. Too generous.
Eric Haynes on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder in the death of Zaria McKeever in 2022 in a plea agreement. Eliana Haynes and Tavion James each pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting a criminal after the fact for helping cover up the shooting, Ellison’s office said in a news release.
Eric Haynes will be sentenced on April 12th. First-degree murder in Minnesota carries a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Ellison’s office said the state will recommend a sentence of four years in prison for Eliana Haines and a sentence of three years and six months in prison for James.
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Eric Haynes’ indictment alleges that on Nov. 8, 2022, he sent two boys with guns into an apartment to kill McKeever’s new boyfriend, and in exchange the boys killed McKeever, 23. ) was fired five times.
On March 22, 17-year-old Foday Kevin Camara pleaded guilty to second-degree intentional homicide for his role in the murder. Camara had agreed to be recognized as an adult. The state agreed to recommend that Mr. Camara be sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison at sentencing on May 8th. Inmates in Minnesota typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison, with the remainder on supervised release.
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“Today marks another important step toward justice for Zaria and her family, as all defendants in this case have pled guilty to their roles in this heinous crime,” Ellison said in a news release.
McKeever, who lived in Brooklyn Park, was the mother of a 1-year-old child.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty had offered Camara and another defendant a plea deal that would spare them long adult sentences in exchange for their testimony. Moriarty said at the time that prosecuting them as juveniles was their best chance for rehabilitation, she said.
Ellison and Walz intervened over Moriarty’s objections after another boy’s plea deal had already been accepted.
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The attorney general typically takes over criminal cases only at the request of local prosecutors. At the request of his predecessor Moriarty, Ellison indicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
