Hennepin County Attorney charges two additional adults in Zaria McKeever’s murder
3/24/2023
Today, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the charging of two additional adults in connection with the murder of Zaria McKeever in Brooklyn Park late last year. Eriana Dewauna Haynes, 24, of Brooklyn Center, and Tavion Michael Darnell James, 24, of Brooklyn Park, each face one felony charge of Aiding an Offender - Accomplice After the Fact in violation of Minn. Stat. 609.495.3. Five individuals have now been charged by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in connection with Ms. McKeever’s death.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office coordinated closely with the Brooklyn Park Police Department on these cases.
“Zaria’s murder was a devastating tragedy,” Hennepin County Mary Moriarty said. “Her family and the community are grieving and we are continuing to pursue justice. These additional charges are possible only because we have not stopped in our efforts to investigate this case and hold accountable everyone who played a role. And we will continue this work until justice is done.”
Ms. McKeever was shot and killed November 8, 2022, in a case of domestic homicide. Her former boyfriend, Erick Haynes, age 22, has been charged with second-degree murder, and the County Attorney’s Office has filed a notice with the court of its intent to seek aggravated sentencing against him. The investigation revealed that Mr. Haynes organized and planned this crime because he was angry that Ms. McKeever had ended their relationship. He violated no-contact orders protecting her, developed this plan, and exploited his influence over two teenagers to have them carry it out.
The two teenagers, one 15-year-old and one 17-year-old, were also charged in the case. Both have agreed to plead guilty and cooperate fully in the prosecution of Mr. Haynes. Their cooperation led to the charging of the two additional adult defendants in this case.
The 17-year-old recently pled guilty and the 15-year-old is scheduled to enter his plea on April 7. As a result of their guilty pleas, each will be incarcerated at the Red Wing juvenile prison, where they will be required to participate in rehabilitative services and significant programming. If they violate the terms of their sentences in any way – whether by failing to follow programming, committing a new crime, refusing to engage in positive activities, or taking actions that show they are returning to their former patterns of criminal behavior – they face immediate transfer to adult state prison, where they would both serve substantially lengthy sentences.
These sentences will better protect the safety of our community in the long run than would sending these teenagers straight to adult prison. Adult prison provides little to no opportunity for rehabilitation, and for children, is counterproductive. Youth sent directly to the adult system have far worse outcomes than those given the benefit of juvenile programming – they are less likely to gain employment, more likely to be impoverished, and much more likely to commit crimes in the future. It should, therefore, be a last resort, as it is here.
If the youths violate the terms of their sentences, a judge will have the opportunity to impose the long prison terms that are also part of their sentences, under Minnesota’s blended sentencing scheme, or “Extended Jurisdiction Juvenile.”