17-year-old certified as adult in deadly stabbing case

A 17-year-old from St. Paul has now been certified as an adult in connection with a deadly stabbing in May that left a 19-year-old dead.

Jeremy Joe Davila faces one count of second-degree murder in Ramsey County.

Davila and a 14-year-old were both arrested and accused of stabbing Jay’Mier Keymari Givens 22 times, killing him, on March 31. Davila was initially charged as a juvenile.

RELATED: 2 teens stabbed 19-year-old 22 times, killing him, prosecutors say

The 911 caller said his 10-year-old daughter was acting strange and said she heard yelling outside and saw people. The caller looked outside and saw someone lying on the sidewalk. He tried to wake the victim up, but he wasn’t responsive.

The 10-year-old told police she heard yelling and someone calling for help. When she looked out the window, she saw someone lying on the ground and three to four younger males in dark hoodies running away.

Givens’ brother told investigators that Givens had gone to smoke with his friends at a home three blocks from where he was found unresponsive. A 17-year-old, later identified as Davila, and a 14-year-old who lived at the home were identified as the friends Givens was going to meet.

The 14-year-old later told investigators, “It wasn’t supposed to play out like that,” and then said Givens, Davila, and he were in the woods smoking marijuana. He asked Givens why he had threatened his girlfriend and her son and claimed that Givens pulled a knife on him.

Court documents state Davila then pulled out a knife to defend the 14-year-old and stabbed Givens, the teen told police. When Davila stabbed Givens, Givens dropped his knife and the 14-year-old said he picked the knife up and they both stabbed Givens multiple times.
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