A Long Island man may spend the rest of his life in prison for fatally stabbing a teen who hung out with a friend’s ex-girlfriend in the heart.
At the time of the murder, the young man was 18. But now, as a 22-year-old, he may spend the rest of his life behind bars for a violent act against a juvenile.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office released a statement saying that Tyler Flach, a Lido Beach resident, was sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder of Khaseen Morris at a strip mall in September 2019.
Flach was convicted on Nov. 1, 2022, of murder, gang assault, assault and criminal possession of a weapon for stabbing Khaseen, a 16-year-old Oceanside High School student.
After the sentencing, Keyanna Morris, the victim’s sister, said she had a sense of “relief finally.”
Flach extended an apology to the family, saying, “I hate that day. I hate myself for accidentally causing a death. It’s hard for me to live knowing by my hand someone is dead. I’m sorry.”
The mother did not seem ready to receive the words of regret.
“He hurt us. He was wrong. He’s evil,” she said.
Judge Howard Sturmin also had words for the young man, driving home the magnitude of what he did and the reason for his sentencing.
Sturmin said, “You brought a knife to a brawl. Your friends will forget your bravado. You’ll suffer from your stupidity for years and years and years.”
One of the slain boy’s sisters, Keyanna Morris believes the sentencing was appropriate.
“He was held accountable for it, finally,” she said.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said the crime of passion was done because of a teenage love triangle and a then-teen riding for his friend.
“The defendant, angry that Morris had walked a girl home, organized a group and went to a local strip mall with the intention of attacking Morris,” the DA said.
According to Law and Crime, Khaseen and the girl were going home from a party. The young lady used to date one of Flach’s friends and the two had broken up two weeks before the fight. Both of them at the time were teens.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, commanding officer of the NCPD’s Homicide Squad, said Khaseen and the girl were only friends. He believes the girl’s ex-boyfriend may have been jealous about how close the two were.
“She broke up with him, and this fight happened as a result of jealousy that Khaseen was seen with the girl,” he said. “They came with the intention to seriously hurt them, and Khaseen got killed as a result of that.”
He also said Flach was only organizing a fight, but it was elevated once the older teen stabbed the younger one.
He added, “Tyler Flach stabbed Morris in the chest and took the young man’s life. This was an incredibly senseless murder and I thank our prosecutors, the Nassau County Police Department detectives, and the jurors who sat on this trial for carefully reviewing the evidence. We continue to stand with Khaseen’s family, friends, and community as they mourn his tragic loss.”
The brutal beating incident was videotaped and shared on social media. Authorities said “about 50, 60, 70 kids” were watching and filming the fight.
According to Donnelly, Khaseen was “intelligent” and “friendly.” She said the 16-year-old “had a smile that could light up a room,” had 10 days prior transferred to Oceanside High School, and was trying to make new friends before the incident happened.
The stabbing happened around 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 16 during an after-school brawl.
Flach had organized a group of his friends, who all jumped out of his vehicle to attack Kasheen as he stood outside the strip mall. In the midst of the melee, Flach stabbed Kasheen in the heart — causing his heart to stop beating.
The young man was rushed to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital and was treated by trauma doctors who were able to get his heart beating again. However, at 11:55 p.m. that day, the young man was pronounced dead.
Two days later, Flach turned himself in.
He was not the only person arrested in connection to the killing. Haakim Mechan, 19; Marquis Stephens Jr., 18; Javonte Neals, 18; Taj Woodruff, 17; Sean Merritt, 17; and two 16-year-old males were arrested for various crimes based on their participation. The two juveniles’ names have been withheld because they are minors, the Long Island Herald reported.
Mechan, one of Flach’s associates, pleaded guilty to attempted gang assault in the second degree after participating in the jumping of the transfer student. On Thursday, Feb. 23, he was sentenced to three years in prison with three years of post-release supervision.
Flach continued to apologize for his role in instigating the fight and stabbing Kasheen, saying his death was an “accident” he regrets.
“He knows he made a mistake, but he wasn’t trying to impress anyone, and he certainly wasn’t trying to kill anyone. This was a young man who had a bright future ahead of him,” Kevin Dunshee, Flach’s attorney, said.
