Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced two additional adults have been charged in connection with the murder of 23-year old Zaria McKeever in a Brooklyn Park apartment last year.
“We were able to bring these additional charges because we never stopped investigating even after police made their initial arrest,” says Moriarty. “And we will continue our work until justice is done for Zaria McKeever.”
McKeever was shot by two teens who authorities say had been ordered by her ex-boyfriend to shoot her new boyfriend. Both are being prosecuted and will serve time in a juvenile correctional facility in Red Wing, a decision that has outraged McKeever's friends and family.
“Domestic violence requires a strong and multifaceted response,” Moriarty says. “Part of that response must be aggressive prosecution.”
Moriarty has said that because of the juveniles’ age, their lack of history, and the fact that they were manipulated by an adult into committing the murder, they deemed keeping them in the juvenile system as the best decision for their rehabilitation.
Moriarty has spoken with the family about her office’s decision, and she acknowledged that it is heartbreaking but reaffirmed her position in the prosecution.
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