The mother of the man convicted in the 2022 killing of 23-year-old Zaria McKeever has admitted to helping him after the crime. On Wednesday, Valesha Parker, the mother of Erick Haynes, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding an offender in connection with McKeever’s death. Under the deal outlined in court, a 50-month prison sentence would be stayed for five years, and Parker would serve 364 days in jail if a judge signs off on the agreement. She is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on May 1.
Parker entered her plea in Hennepin County court on March 25. The 50-month term and 364 days in jail were detailed in the plea agreement, according to CBS Minnesota. Prosecutors had originally charged her in 2024 with multiple counts of aiding an offender, and this single-count plea resolves the most serious of those charges. At the May hearing, the judge will decide whether to accept the negotiated deal.
How prosecutors say the killing unfolded
According to reporting in the Star Tribune, investigators say Haynes drove two teenage brothers to a Brooklyn Park apartment in November 2022. He allegedly handed a 9mm handgun to the younger teen and told the pair to confront his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend. One of the teens, then-15-year-old Foday Kamara, told investigators he fired multiple shots and hit McKeever. Court filings state he shot her nine times and also accidentally shot his brother. Haynes was later convicted of orchestrating the attack and sentenced to life in prison.
Weapon recovered at the Brooklyn Center hotel
Authorities say the handgun used in the killing was later recovered from a vehicle parked outside an Extended Stay hotel in nearby Brooklyn Center, where court records indicate Parker had been staying. Court filings allege the teens were brought to a room at the hotel and that Parker was present when at least one of them admitted to the shooting, according to KSTP. Other relatives of Haynes had already pleaded guilty to aiding an offender in the case and received multi-year prison sentences.
State-level intervention and controversy
The McKeever case sparked a high-profile clash over how to handle juvenile suspects. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty initially offered plea deals that would have steered the teenage shooters toward rehabilitation rather than adult prison, a move that drew public outrage and intense political pressure. Gov. Tim Walz then asked Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the prosecution, as reported by CBS Minnesota. Moriarty later called the governor’s decision “undemocratic” in earlier coverage of the dispute.
What the plea means legally
The charge Parker admitted to, aiding an offender as an accomplice after the fact, covers conduct such as hiding evidence, giving false or misleading information, or otherwise obstructing an investigation. Under Minn. Stat. § 609.495, an accomplice after the fact can be sentenced to as much as one-half of the statutory maximum faced by the principal offender, according to the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes.
McKeever’s family has pushed publicly for accountability since the 2022 killing. Two of Haynes’ relatives, his sister Eriana Haynes and her partner Tavion James, previously pleaded guilty to aiding an offender and received multi-year prison terms, the Star Tribune reported. With Parker’s plea now entered, the May 1 hearing will determine whether the court accepts the agreement or opts for a different sentence.
