MINNEAPOLIS — The accused mastermind in the murder of 23-year-old Zaria McKeever of Brooklyn Center in November 2022 has been indicted by a grand jury of first-degree premeditated murder.
If convicted, Erick Haynes faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The case gained additional attention when Attorney General Keith Ellison took over the prosecution from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty against her wishes after the family protested the plea deal Moriarty offered the two juvenile suspects.
A 15-year-old is accused of pulling the trigger after breaking into the apartment with his 17-year-old brother.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office under Mike Freeman moved to certify the boys as adults to be tried for murder alongside Haynes, but after Moriarty became Hennepin County Attorney, her office changed course, offering the boys a plea bargain to serve two years in the Red Wing juvenile prison and testify against Haynes.
The 17-year-old took Moriarty's deal before Ellison's office took over the case, and is now serving that sentence in Red Wing. The status of the 15-year-old's case is unclear, as juvenile proceedings for teens under 16 are not public.
The prosecutor handling the case is Leah Erickson, who left Moriarty's office during the controversy and now is an employee of the Attorney General's Office.
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