Zaria McKeever's family speaks out after teens charged in her murder not certified as adults
MINNEAPOLIS – A family asked a judge to reject a plea deal for two teenagers charged with killing their daughter, but the deal went through.
Now, relatives of 23-year-old Zaria McKeever claim their victim rights have been violated.
McKeever's family believe justice has not been served.
"When you're in a place where there is no truth, how can you get justice?" said mother Maria Greer.
They claim inconsistencies in testimony by the teens connected to McKeever's killing is enough to try them as adults.
"With all the evidence that they have and everything, I can't even believe that they were offered a plea at all," said sister Tiffynnie Epps.
McKeever was shot and killed inside her Brooklyn Park apartment last November. Investigators say her ex-boyfriend, Erick Haynes, bought a gun and ordered two teenagers to kill her new boyfriend, as well as her if she got in the way.
Two brothers, 15 and 17 years old, allegedly kicked in the apartment door. While McKeever's new boyfriend jumped out of the window, she was shot dead.
"They need to go after the killer and also the mastermind behind the plan, and everyone else that's of age that was aiding and abetting as well," Epps said.
Former Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman was in the process of having the boys certified as adults before he retired. But new County Attorney Mary Moriarty decided against it.
With this plea deal, the two teens will avoid trial and be released after a couple of years in a Red Wing juvenile program.
"I believe that this is the correct decision to make," Moriarty said. "This was actually a domestic homicide that was orchestrated by an adult, who was the father of Zaria's 1-year-old child."
Moriarty says Haynes was the adult in this situation, and will face the consequences.
"We are aggressively prosecuting his case. We've charged him with second-degree murder. We are waiting the results of a motion to see whether we can schedule this for an indictment for first-degree murder in front of the grand jury," Moriarty said.
Moriarty says the teenagers will also be held accountable. Both will testify against Haynes. They also face 12 years of adult prison time if they do not excel in the juvenile prison program.
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Local Domestic Violence Resources
Women's Advocates
Crisis Line: (651) 227-8284
St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project
Crisis Line: (651) 645-2824
Minnesota Day One
Crisis Line: 1-866-223-1111
Esperanza United
Bilingual crisis line: (651) 772-1611.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
