Teen suspect in Zaria McKeever murder to be tried as an adult

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A teen suspect in the murder of Zaria McKeever has now been certified as an adult after the State of Minnesota took over the case from the Hennepin County Attorney.

Foday Kamara now faces two counts of second-degree murder in the case out of Brooklyn Park from November 2022.

Kamara and his brother, acting on the orders of McKeever's ex-boyfriend Erick Dewuan Haynes, are accused of breaking into McKeever's apartment and killing the 23-year-old woman. Police say the teens were supposed to kill McKeever's current boyfriend, who escaped out of a second-story window.

Kamara is the suspected gunman in the shooting.

Before the state takeover of the case, Kamara was set to accept a plea deal from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office that would have had him serve two years in a youth facility -- as long as he stayed out of trouble and abide by the conditions of the deal.

However, after an outcry from McKeever's family and members of the public, Governor Walz used his authority to assign Attorney General Keith Ellison to handle the case.

Kamara is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office wrote: "Based on the Attorney General’s prior comments that even a 15 year old who ‘commits such a horrible murder should serve years in prison’ it was clear they would seek adult certification and decades in prison. So it’s not a surprise that Mr. Kamara now faces adult charges carrying a presumptive sentence of 25 years. We continue to believe the best outcome would be to hold him accountable in a way that protects the public and accounts for his age and extensive history of trauma. Seeking the treatment exclusively available in the juvenile system would have achieved that because it would reduce his likelihood of reoffending in the future."