Star Tribune
Teen accused in Zaria McKeever’s slaying now charged as adult, plea deal on table
After years of confidential negotiations, the teenager accused of killing 23-year-old Zaria McKeever during a 2022 Brooklyn Park home invasion has been charged as an adult, signaling that a tentative plea deal is on the table.
The case now moves from juvenile to adult court, meaning previously sealed court records will be made public. And more than two years after the deadly break-in on Nov. 8, 2022, the accused killer’s name is publicly known: Foday Kamara, 17, of Brooklyn Park. The Star Tribune doesn’t typically name juvenile defendants unless they have been certified as an adult.
Judge Todd Fellman on Tuesday ordered Kamara to stand trial as an adultfor felony charges of aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder and aiding and abetting second-degree murder while committing a felony of first-degree burglary with the use of a firearm.
Although details of the potential plea are not yet known, prosecutors have long sought Kamara’s testimony against McKeever’s ex-boyfriend, Erick Haynes, who is accused of orchestrating the attack. Haynes has a history of violating domestic no-contact orders against McKeever, the mother of his child. In the weeks preceding her death, investigators found that Haynes repeatedly stalked and harassed her.
Kamara remains in custody at the juvenile detention center and prosecutors have requested a high bail amount once he is transferred to jail. He makes his first appearance in adult court Wednesday afternoon.
The adult charges secure a hard-fought victory for state prosecutors one year after Attorney General Keith Ellison removed the case from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty amid intense public backlash.
At Ellison’s request, Gov. Tim Walz took the extremely rare step of reassigning the case, after Walz and Ellison agreed with McKeever’s family that the initial plea offer was too lenient. Moriarty offered Kamara, who was 15 at the time of the crime, a deal to avoid adult prison and adult certification by serving time at a juvenile detention facility.
Attorneys have negotiated Kamara’s case since the prosecution changed hands. His older brother’s case closed up more quickly; John Kamara accepted a plea deal offer from Moriarty before the state intervened.
“It does feel like a little more justice,” said McKeever’s sister, Tiffynnie Epps. “It’s still not the max he can receive — that’s what we wanted.”
Hennepin County District Judge Tanya Bransford accepted a plea agreement for then-17-year-old John Kamara that would result in about a two-year sentence at the juvenile correctional facility in Red Wing and extended probation until his 21st birthday for his role in the shooting.
Prosecutors originally moved to certify the brothers as adults so they could stand trial for murder. But Moriarty’s office abruptly changed course, offering the teens a chance to avoid a lengthy adult prison sentence in exchange for testifying against Haynes.
Officials accused Haynes of enlisting the Kamara brothers to carry it out. Hayne’s sister and her now-husband are charged as accomplices after the fact.
All adults were order to stand trial jointly. Haynes attorney, Robert Paule, declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday. Neither Kamara’s defense attorney nor the Attorney General’s office could be immediately reached for comment.
While a legal conclusion to the case has been slow in coming, the police investigation into the fatal home invasion was swift. Brooklyn Park police announced within hours of the murder that two teens and three adults had been arrested. They were all charged by Hennepin County prosecutors two days later.
Botched break-in
In the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 2022, Haynes drove the Kamara brothers to the Eden Park apartment complex on a mission to kill McKeever’s new boyfriend, charges say.
Haynes gave the boys a firearm he’d purchased, then ordered them inside. Under the cover of darkness, charges say, the 15- and 17-year old boys kicked in the front door, confronted McKeever and briefly argued before Foday unleashed a flurry of shots — cutting down a woman he barely knew.
Nine rounds struck McKeever. Another hit the elder brother in the leg.
McKeever’s boyfriend, who was in the bathroom at the time of the shooting, jumped out a second-story window and ran for help. Surveillance video, witness statements and physical evidence helped tie them to the crime scene.
Apartment security footage captured the boys fleeing the scene, one limping as the other helps him back to the getaway car.
In an interview with investigators following his arrest, Foday admitted to every element of the botched break-in. Haynes gave them the gun with instructions to deal with McKeever’s boyfriend, noting that if she “caused any problems” they should “shoot her in the leg,” according to the criminal complaint.
When the Kamara boys burst through the door, she told them to leave. Foday alleged that he “didn’t want to hurt anyone,” charges say, but just wanted the boyfriend to come outside. She attempted to stop them from getting down the hall, eventually grabbing a knife. That’s when he shot her.
This is a breaking news story. Check back at Startribune.com for updates.
According to Gomez, workers have had wages withheld under threats of possible deportations. Unauthorized workers are less likely to seek legal aid due to their legal status.
“What I want from this program is for other people not to suffer the same abuses that we’ve suffered in the past,” Gomez said. “This program is designed to prevent these abuses.”
CTUL said workers’ rights under the program will be shared in multiple languages.
Gomez specifically named Yellow Tree, United Properties, and Solhem Cos. as developers he’d like to see join the program. CTUL called for these companies, as well as Roers, Doran Properties Group, and MWF Properties, to adopt the standards.
Those working under developers in the program can report abuse to the standards council. After a complaint is made, the council will monitor contractors’ worksites to make sure they are complying with the standards.
If the council finds that a contractor is abusing workers, developers in CTUL’s program would be legally required to stop working with the contractor.
One man is dead and two others were fighting for their lives Saturday, as Minneapolis police searched for suspects following a triple shooting in the early morning hours.
According to police, officers responded to reports of automatic gunfire at a homeless encampment near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. shortly before 5 a.m. They arrived in the Ventura Village neighborhood south of downtown to find three victims with gunshot wounds.
The men were given aid and transported to HCMC, where one of them died. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the other two remained in critical condition. The identities of the men, who were homeless, were not immediately released.
Investigators believe that an altercation occurred after three people approached the camp. One of the victims had a BB gun that resembled a real pistol, but it was unclear if that was a factor in the shooting.
“Once again, tragedy has occurred at a homeless encampment and all three of the injured are known to police,” O’Hara said at a news conference Saturday. “Residents in the area have been very frustrated. This is an ongoing issue with encampments and all of the activity that’s associated with it. As soon as one encampment is cleared, another one pops up somewhere else and crime in the area immediately rises.”
Citing department data, O’Hara said that around 13% of all Third Precinct crime, and 19% of the precinct’s gun violence, happens within 500 feet of encampments. He said he believed that the camp where the shooting occurred appeared after officials had closed a larger encampment by a Franklin Avenue overpass.
Paula Williams, who has lived in the area since the late 1970s, said she often greets youth from the encampment and that none have made her feel threatened. But Williams said drug use and sex trafficking have become an issue.
“It’s just been whack-a-mole,” she said. “The police come daily or every other day. Somebody calls and they get chased away and by the evening, they’re back.”
“… This summer an alcohol fueled argument escalated into something that I deeply regret. I said and did things that are unacceptable and I take full responsibility for my actions. Although there was never any physical violence I am deeply remorseful for the fear and trauma caused by my anger. I’ve since been given an opportunity to step back, reflect, assess, heal and grow. Although the path was unfortunate, the destination was necessary. I’ve been able to embrace sobriety, spirituality, and integrity. I’ve been able to find myself again and love myself again. The clarity and perspective I now possess is priceless and has fueled my determination and dedication. It’s no coincidence that this next chapter of my life begins as I turn 40 and I can’t wait to live the rest of my life as the best version of myself I’ve ever been and continue to give back to my community.”
Bullshit. Then, and especially now.
It’s clear Sutherland’s primary concern has been the impact of his legal case on his career. Plus, he knows he has the power to shape the narrative about the next chapter of his life.
Influential men always do. Sutherland’s success and charm could still provide the platform for him to earn an abundance of grace, and an apparently consensual meeting with the alleged victim will only enhance those ambitions. But those accused of domestic violence should not have the ability to proclaim their redemption. They’re not reliable sources.
The criminal complaint from the summer incident states that the alleged victim told police Sutherland had been physically and verbally abusive in the past. It’s a familiar story. Too familiar. According to the National Domestic Hotline, 4 out of 5 victims of intimate partner violence from 1994 to 2010 were women. And more than three-quarters of the female victims ages 18 to 49 were “previously victimized by the same offender.”
Thursday’s arrest complicates Sutherland’s legal case and perceptions about his summer encounter with his girlfriend. But it doesn’t change the facts.
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Minneapolis police search for suspects after triple shooting at homeless encampment
Pope Francis’ Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
New program protects nonunion workers from wage theft, other abuses