Woman reaches plea deal, will testify against alleged shooter in deadly Twin Cities carjacking

A woman has agreed to plead guilty to a deadly carjacking in Minneapolis and testify against the man charged with killing their victim.

Megan Renee Karjala, 24, of Coon Rapids reached a plea agreement Tuesday with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in the fatal shooting of Da’Vonte Jovan Adams, 28, of Spring Valley, Minn., on May 17, 2024.

The alleged gunman, Vernon Sirhyde Archie, 29, of St. Paul, is charged with second-degree murder and remains jailed. He is scheduled to return to court on May 6.

Karjala also is in custody ahead of sentencing on July 22, when she will admit to first-degree aggravated robbery and have the second-degree murder count dismissed.

Under the plea agreement, she will receive a term of 4¾ years and be required “to testify truthfully in codefendant Vernon Archie’s case,” the plea filing read.

Police found Adams about 4:45 a.m. on the ground in the 2200 block of 5th Avenue N. with gunshot wounds to his face, neck, chest and torso, the complaints read. He was pronounced dead at HCMC.

According to the complaints and related felony charges in Ramsey County District Court against both defendants:

Neighbors told police they heard a man and woman arguing, followed by gunfire and a man yelling for help. A 911 caller reported seeing two people flee in Adams’ Chevy Suburban.

On May 20, St. Paul police responded to a report of shots fired in the 100 block of Isabel Street and found Karjala and Archie nearby in a stolen Honda SUV.

Police seized from Archie live and spent rounds of .45-caliber ammunition, the same caliber of a casing found next to Adams’ body.

They also recovered from Karjala a handgun of the same caliber and another, a .380-caliber, from the Honda. Both were loaded. Also seized were illicit drugs and burglary tools.

Police later determined the .45-caliber handgun found in the Honda was used to kill Adams.

Police found Adams’ stolen SUV on May 19, and DNA from Karjala and Archie was inside the vehicle.

Surveillance video from the Minneapolis shooting showed Karjala and Archie both wearing ski masks as they walked parallel to each other on opposite sides of the street. Adams pulled up minutes later. Karjala got in the front passenger seat shortly before the gunfire erupted.

She said she met Adams on a dating app, and they arranged to meet. When Adams arrived, she and Archie attempted to grab his keys. Adams ran, but Archie shot him several times, she said.

Karjala also drew a gun, the .380-caliber weapon seized in St. Paul, and pointed it at Adams as Archie took his keys. The two then drove off in the victim’s SUV.