Tyler Flach (left), and Khaseen Morris.
Long Island jurors on Tuesday convicted a young man of murdering a 16-year-old boy in a petty fight over some other teen’s ex-girlfriend.
Tyler Flach, now 21, will face sentencing next month, according to outlets in the New York City region. Charges in the case included second-degree murder, and first-degree gang assault.
The defense maintained Flach did not mean to kill victim Khaseen Morris, 16, in a group fight on Sept. 16, 2019, but prosecutors in Long Island’s Nassau County said this was an intentional homicide. Jurors sided with the state. They had an option to go with a lesser manslaughter charge.
“Everybody was able to see it,” Khaseen’s sister Keyanna Morris said after court, according to WABC. “You went there intentional to do more than cause harm. You went there intentionally to murder my brother. You targeted my brother and you murder him. Now, you got what you deserve.”
All of this started after the 16-year-old Khaseen had simply walked a girl home from a party, according to authorities in a CBS News report. This angered her ex-boyfriend. He wanted to fight. Flach, then 18, joined seven other teens in attacking Morris and others at a strip mall, authorities said.
Awaiting arraignment of 18-year old Tyler Flach – police say he fatally #stabbed 16-year old Khaseen Morris during fight in #Oceanside @News12LI pic.twitter.com/wLm9VYsOXA
— Eileen Lehpamer (@ELehpamer12) September 19, 2019
#BreakingNews: #TylerFlach has been convicted of all charges against him, including second-degree murder, in the stabbing death of 16-year-old #KhaseenMorris – https://t.co/fac98KkqwL #longisland pic.twitter.com/C184hcqepu
— News12LI (@News12LI) November 1, 2022
“I believe we had lots of convincing evidence to show that this was punches, and punches with a knife in hand, and very sadly one had pierced the chest,” defense lawyer Edward Sapone reportedly said. “My heart also goes out to the victims family, there are no winners, both sides lost today and back in 2019.”
Morris’ family welcomed the verdict.
“It’s a good feeling,” his father Bryan Morris said. “Justice. Justice was in our favor.”
“We did not deserve to lose someone so dear and special,” Keyanna said. “We lost of piece of us, but today I feel like my baby gained his wings.”
Tyler Flach was convicted of murder in the 2019 stabbing death of Khaseen Morris, 16, on Long Island. pic.twitter.com/BHHw6GgTwx
— PIX11 News (@PIX11News) November 1, 2022
Tyler Flach guilty of second degree-murder in stabbing death of Oceanside High School senior Khaseen Morris.
Second-degree murder has a top penalty of 25 years to life in prison. From @ByBridgetMurphy https://t.co/vS6oz0rcYQ— Cecilia Dowd (@ceciliadowdnews) November 1, 2022
“Khaseen Morris was a bright, funny and energetic young man who, at only 16, had his entire life in front him,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a statement, according to the Patch. “Morris recently moved to the Oceanside area and had attended his new high school for only ten days when Tyler Flach – enraged that Morris had walked a girl home from school – deliberately attacked Morris with a gang of seven other defendants. The defendant intentionally stabbed Morris in the chest, piercing his heart. Despite the best efforts of trauma doctors, Morris lost his life later that night. We stand with the Morris family and all of Khaseen’s friends as they continue to mourn his senseless loss.”
Flach’s sentence is scheduled for Dec. 14.
[Images via WABC/screengrab, @rememberingkhaseen on Instagram]
