2 additional adults sentenced in Zaria McKeever murder
MINNEAPOLIS — Two people who helped cover up the murder of Zaria McKeever were sentenced in court on Wednesday.
Eriana Haynes and Tavion James pleaded guilty to one count each of aiding an offender after the fact. The two, who were in a romantic relationship at the time, drove one of the teenagers who barged into McKeever's apartment to the hospital and lied to police officers, court documents say.
Haynes was sentenced to 41 months, while James received a 42-month sentence that was stayed for five years, along with five years of probation.
In November of 2022, Erick Haynes — Eriana Haynes' brother — handed two teenage brothers a gun and instructed them to scare McKeever's new boyfriend. McKeever was the mother of his 1-year-old child, and he was upset that their relationship had ended.
The teens kicked down the door to McKeever's Brooklyn Park apartment. Foday Kamara, who was 15 at the time, shot McKeever nine times and accidentally shot his brother in the foot. McKeever's boyfriend jumped out the window and was able to escape.
Afterwards, Eriana Haynes and James took the brother to the hospital, where they told police officers that he had been shot in north Minneapolis. It ultimately impeded the investigation, court documents said.
Erick Haynes, Eriana Haynes and Tavion James pleaded guilty in April. Erick Haynes was sentenced to life in prison.
Kamara pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal that saw him testify against Eriana Haynes and James in exchange for the dismissal of a second charge against him. He was sentenced to more than 10 years.
Kamara was originally offered a plea deal by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who wanted him and his brother to undergo rehabilitation instead of serving time in prison. McKeever's family was outraged and successfully lobbied Gov. Tim Walz to intervene and reroute the case to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison without Moriarty's approval — a move that hadn't occurred in the state for nearly three decades. Moriarty called Walz's decision "undemocratic."
Note: The video above originally aired May 8, 2024.
