Jury in Tyler Flach trial in stabbing death of Khaseen Morris hears opening statements
Tyler Flach, wearing white shirt and tie, leaves Nassau County Court in Mineola on Wednesday. Credit: John Roca
A knife-wielding and shirtless Tyler Flach charged across the parking lot of an Oceanside strip mall with other Long Beach teens three years ago and viciously attacked Khaseen Morris and his outnumbered friends, Nassau prosecutor Daryl Levy said Thursday during opening statements in Flach’s second-degree murder trial.
What was supposed to be a one-on-one fight between Morris and a Long Beach teen who became enraged when another kid sent him a video of Morris walking with his ex-girlfriend turned into a deadly gang attack, Levy said.
Flach, using his shirt to cover the bottom half of his face, stabbed Morris three times as another Long Beach boy assaulted the Oceanside High School senior, Levy said during his roughly 30-minute opening remarks.
“He takes that knife and he thrusts it,” Levy told the jury in State Supreme Court in Mineola. “He thrusts it a second time, and he thrusts it again.”
Levy told the jury they would see video evidence that showed Flach plunging the knife into Morris’ chest. “You are going to see what happened that day,” Levy said. “You are going to see this defendant stab Khaseen Morris in the chest.”
Flach, now 21, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree gang assault and misdemeanor assault and weapon charges after the encounter on Sept. 16, 2019.
During his 30-minute opening statement, Flach’s defense attorney Edward Sapone acknowledged that Flach had been holding a knife in his hand when he punched Morris during the brawl — but said he did not intend to kill the Oceanside student. His client was reckless, Sapone said, but Morris’ death was not intentional.
“One punch goes awry,” Sapone told the jury, “and tragically pierces the heart.”
Sapone told the jury that Flach stabbed Morris once, not three times as the prosecution said, and suggested that Morris died eight hours later from injuries to his heart caused by medical intervention. Morris’ T-shirt, Sapone said, had just one hole in it.
Sapone said Flach only knew the girl via social media, did not have any personal beef with Morris, and had not intended on killing anyone on that September day. “It was never his intent to kill him [Morris],” Sapone said.
The first witness called was Keyanna Morris, the victim’s 33-year-old sister, who testified through tears about the day her brother died. “It is literally heart-wrenching to sit in there with the person who murdered my brother,” she told reporters.
Sthefany Bedoya, the girl seen walking with Morris, said she had a troubled on-again, off-again relationship with the boy Morris was supposed to fight due to the boy’s possessive nature. Morris, who had transferred to Oceanside from Freeport High just weeks earlier, was just a friend, the now-19-year-old said.
Nassau police Officer Steven Pineman, police medic Joseph Dasaro and Oceanside Fire District paramedic Jose Piniero also told the jury about the actions they took that afternoon to keep Morris alive, first at the scene and then en route to the hospital.
Dasaro's testimony seemed to bolster Sapone’s claim that there was only one stab wound when he testified about a drawing he had made for doctors that showed just one injury, on the top left side of Morris’ chest. “I was looking at his face and upper chest,” Dasaro said, adding that other first responders were addressing Morris’ lower torso.
Authorities said a group of seven young men from Long Beach — all later also indicted — went to the prearranged fight with Flach to confront Morris. Three of the seven — including the enraged ex-boyfriend — could testify against Flach at his trial after secretly becoming cooperating prosecution witnesses.
The three cooperating prosecution witnesses previously pleaded guilty to the felony gang assault and misdemeanor assault charges against them during sealed court proceedings, according to the sources.
“You will hear about this cooperation,” Sapone said. “They are going to testify because they don’t want to go to prison. You can’t blame them, folks. They are scared teenagers, looking out for themselves.”
Newsday is not publishing the names of two of the indicted defendants, whom sources identified as cooperating prosecution witnesses, including the enraged boyfriend, because police said they were 16 at the time of their arrests.
Three other defendants who previously pleaded guilty in the case are serving one-year sentences at Nassau’s jail and are due for release in December.
Those defendants, Marquis Stephens Jr., 21, Javonte Neals, 21, and Sean Merritt, 20, admitted when pleading guilty to gang assault that they caused serious physical injury. Charges remain pending against another defendant, Hakim Mechan, 22, after Acting State Supreme Court Justice Howard Sturim — who is presiding at Flach’s trial — severed Mechan’s trial from Flach’s.
Testimony in the case resumes Friday.
A knife-wielding and shirtless Tyler Flach charged across the parking lot of an Oceanside strip mall with other Long Beach teens three years ago and viciously attacked Khaseen Morris and his outnumbered friends, Nassau prosecutor Daryl Levy said Thursday during opening statements in Flach’s second-degree murder trial.
What was supposed to be a one-on-one fight between Morris and a Long Beach teen who became enraged when another kid sent him a video of Morris walking with his ex-girlfriend turned into a deadly gang attack, Levy said.
Flach, using his shirt to cover the bottom half of his face, stabbed Morris three times as another Long Beach boy assaulted the Oceanside High School senior, Levy said during his roughly 30-minute opening remarks.
“He takes that knife and he thrusts it,” Levy told the jury in State Supreme Court in Mineola. “He thrusts it a second time, and he thrusts it again.”
Levy told the jury they would see video evidence that showed Flach plunging the knife into Morris’ chest. “You are going to see what happened that day,” Levy said. “You are going to see this defendant stab Khaseen Morris in the chest.”
Flach, now 21, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree gang assault and misdemeanor assault and weapon charges after the encounter on Sept. 16, 2019.
During his 30-minute opening statement, Flach’s defense attorney Edward Sapone acknowledged that Flach had been holding a knife in his hand when he punched Morris during the brawl — but said he did not intend to kill the Oceanside student. His client was reckless, Sapone said, but Morris’ death was not intentional.
“One punch goes awry,” Sapone told the jury, “and tragically pierces the heart.”
Sapone told the jury that Flach stabbed Morris once, not three times as the prosecution said, and suggested that Morris died eight hours later from injuries to his heart caused by medical intervention. Morris’ T-shirt, Sapone said, had just one hole in it.
Sapone said Flach only knew the girl via social media, did not have any personal beef with Morris, and had not intended on killing anyone on that September day. “It was never his intent to kill him [Morris],” Sapone said.
The first witness called was Keyanna Morris, the victim’s 33-year-old sister, who testified through tears about the day her brother died. “It is literally heart-wrenching to sit in there with the person who murdered my brother,” she told reporters.
Sthefany Bedoya, the girl seen walking with Morris, said she had a troubled on-again, off-again relationship with the boy Morris was supposed to fight due to the boy’s possessive nature. Morris, who had transferred to Oceanside from Freeport High just weeks earlier, was just a friend, the now-19-year-old said.
Nassau police Officer Steven Pineman, police medic Joseph Dasaro and Oceanside Fire District paramedic Jose Piniero also told the jury about the actions they took that afternoon to keep Morris alive, first at the scene and then en route to the hospital.
Dasaro's testimony seemed to bolster Sapone’s claim that there was only one stab wound when he testified about a drawing he had made for doctors that showed just one injury, on the top left side of Morris’ chest. “I was looking at his face and upper chest,” Dasaro said, adding that other first responders were addressing Morris’ lower torso.
Authorities said a group of seven young men from Long Beach — all later also indicted — went to the prearranged fight with Flach to confront Morris. Three of the seven — including the enraged ex-boyfriend — could testify against Flach at his trial after secretly becoming cooperating prosecution witnesses.
The three cooperating prosecution witnesses previously pleaded guilty to the felony gang assault and misdemeanor assault charges against them during sealed court proceedings, according to the sources.
“You will hear about this cooperation,” Sapone said. “They are going to testify because they don’t want to go to prison. You can’t blame them, folks. They are scared teenagers, looking out for themselves.”
Newsday is not publishing the names of two of the indicted defendants, whom sources identified as cooperating prosecution witnesses, including the enraged boyfriend, because police said they were 16 at the time of their arrests.
Three other defendants who previously pleaded guilty in the case are serving one-year sentences at Nassau’s jail and are due for release in December.
Those defendants, Marquis Stephens Jr., 21, Javonte Neals, 21, and Sean Merritt, 20, admitted when pleading guilty to gang assault that they caused serious physical injury. Charges remain pending against another defendant, Hakim Mechan, 22, after Acting State Supreme Court Justice Howard Sturim — who is presiding at Flach’s trial — severed Mechan’s trial from Flach’s.
Testimony in the case resumes Friday.
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