A Lido Beach man has been convicted of murder for the stabbing death of Oceanside teenager Khaseen Morris in September 2019, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office announced.
Tyler Flach, 21, was convicted of second-degree murder, first-degree gang assault, third-degree assault, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon after a trial that lasted from Oct. 13 to Oct. 25. The jury deliberated for five days, and the verdict was announced on Nov. 1.
“[Flach] went there intentionally to murder my brother,” Keyanna Morris, Morris’s sister, told reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was read. “You targeted my brother and you murdered him, and now you got what you deserve.”
On Sept. 16, 2019, at about 3:45 p.m., Flach and a group of seven others met Morris, an Oceanside High School student, at a strip mall on Brower Avenue. Flach and the other defendants attacked Morris and a few of his friends.
The fight reportedly had been planned because Flach was angry that Morris walked a girl home from a party one night. During the brawl, Flach stabbed Morris in the chest, and his heart stopped beating, according to the district attorney’s office.
The Oceanside teen was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau and revived; however, he died later that night. Videos of the altercation surfaced on social media, and Flach surrendered to police on Sept. 18, 2019.
“Khaseen Morris was a bright, funny, and energetic young man who, at only 16, had his entire life in front of him,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “Morris recently moved to the Oceanside area and had attended his new high school for only 10 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,” Donnelly added. “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 faces 25 years to life in prison and will be sentenced on Dec. 14.
Six co-defendants in the case have pleaded guilty to various charges, and one is awaiting trial.
