Attorney General Ellison’s prosecution of murder of Zaria McKeever complete with sentencing of final defendant
Valesha Parker sentenced for lying to law enforcement and assisting son Erick Haynes, who orchestrated Ms. McKeever’s November 2022 slaying
May 1, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Today, the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison completed the final prosecution connected to the November 2022 murder of Zaria McKeever, with the sentencing of Valesha Parker to 364 days in jail with a stayed prison sentence of 50 months for the next five years. Parker admitted lying to law enforcement and assisting her son, Erick Haynes, after Haynes orchestrated the offense that resulted in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Zaria McKeever. Parker pleaded guilty to aiding an offender on March 25, 2026.
Zaria McKeever, age 23, was violently murdered in a Brooklyn Park home on November 8, 2022. Her former partner, Erick Haynes, who was the father of Zaria’s then one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, sent two juveniles, including Foday Kamara, into an apartment with guns to kill Zaria McKeever’s new boyfriend. In the process, the juveniles shot Ms. McKeever five times, including at point-blank range to her head. The juveniles fled the scene in a vehicle driven by Mr. Haynes and were aided after the homicide by Eriana Haynes, Tavion James, and Valesha Parker.
“Nothing and no one can return Zaria McKeever to her family, her young daughter, and our community. I think about her and her loved ones often and I hope this final sentencing provides them and the whole community with a sense of accountability,” Attorney General Ellison said. “I want to thank the family for their partnership in holding accountable the people responsible for Zaria’s murder, and I want to thank the entire team in my office who diligently pursued justice for her. We all continue to feel the loss of Zaria and will always remember her.”
Parker is the last of the five adult defendants in Ms. McKeever’s murder to be sentenced. Of the other defendants:
- Erick Haynes was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder;
- Foday Kamara was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree intentional murder;
- Eriana Haynes was sentenced to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to aiding an offender; and
- Tavion James was sentenced to 364 days in jail with a stayed prison sentence of 42 months after pleading guilty to aiding an offender.
Attorney General Ellison thanks the Brooklyn Park Police Department, who led the investigation, and the Minneapolis Police Department, who assisted in the immediate aftermath, for the successful prosecution of this crime.
