The final seconds of 17-year-old Yahkeim “Keimo” Lollar’s life were captured in chilling detail on surveillance cameras at his own Miami apartment complex. On December 20, 2024, just days before Christmas, the promising Miami Northwestern football star was stabbed once in the chest by his on-again, off-again girlfriend Jahara Malik. What she described to police as innocent “horseplay” became a homicide when video evidence and audio revealed Keimo’s desperate last words: “Jahara, don’t” or “Jahara, stop.”

More than 14 months of protests, tears, and relentless advocacy by his family culminated on May 5, 2026, when 18-year-old Malik was sentenced to 17 years in Florida state prison followed by five years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter. The emotional hearing laid bare the devastating impact of a split-second decision that ended a young man’s dreams.

Keimo Lollar was the kind of teenager who made his Haitian-American community proud. A standout running back at Miami Northwestern Senior High School — a powerhouse program known for producing NFL talent — he balanced athletics with straight-A grades and ambitions in finance. Family described him as a homebody who loved video games, competition, and especially his mother and sister. That Friday evening, the family was joyfully setting up their pink Christmas tree while Mariah Carey played in the background. Keimo teased them about the color, sang along, then left the apartment to meet Malik.

Their relationship had been rocky. By December, Keimo had reportedly ended things. Shortly after 11 p.m., Malik called 911 from the third-floor parking garage of the Northwest 6th Court complex in Little Haiti. Paramedics found Keimo with a single stab wound — a four-inch blade entering between the third rib on the left side, piercing his heart. He was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital but died about an hour later.

In her initial account, Malik claimed she carried the knife for protection instead of her usual pepper spray and that the stabbing happened accidentally during playful wrestling. Police initially released her pending further investigation. But the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, and surveillance footage from multiple angles told a different story.

The Video That Changed Everything

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors played the parking garage surveillance. The footage showed Malik and a friend arriving. It captured the confrontation with Keimo. Most devastatingly, it recorded audio of Keimo’s voice pleading with Malik to stop as he began bleeding out. Family members in the courtroom sobbed and some fled the room when the video played. A police sergeant confirmed on the stand that the victim could be heard saying variations of “Jahara, don’t” or “Jahara, stop.”

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Christine Hernandez rejected the accident defense, stating the force used was not consistent with horseplay. Malik had pleaded guilty in March 2026 to manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon with no negotiated plea deal, leaving sentencing entirely to the judge. Prosecutors had asked for 20 years; the family pushed for the maximum 30. The judge settled on 17 years in prison plus probation.

Malik, wearing a mask and hoodie in earlier appearances, expressed remorse in court: “I was wrong for what I did and every day I sit and think about the damage I caused.” She will also be required to undergo mental health evaluations and write a reflection letter to Keimo’s family on each anniversary of the stabbing.