Jahara Malik, 18, admitted to manslaughter with a deadly weapon in the death of her boyfriend Yahkeim Lollar, 17, during an incident described as horseplay in a Miami parking garage. The stabbing occurred on December 20, 2024, and Malik faces sentencing on April 13. Lollar's family has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the defense's account.
On March 17, Jahara Malik pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a deadly weapon in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Yahkeim Lollar. The incident took place around 11 p.m. on December 20, 2024, in the parking garage of Lollar's apartment complex in the 6100 block of Northwest Sixth Court in Miami, Florida. Police responded to reports of a stabbing, and paramedics transported Lollar to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide weeks later. Surveillance footage captured Malik dropping the knife at the scene. According to the arrest affidavit, Malik had been preparing to shop with a friend and, unable to locate her pepper spray for protection, took a knife instead. After shopping, she met Lollar in the garage, where the two engaged in what she described as horseplay, resulting in a chest wound. Malik remained at the scene to provide aid and had no prior arrests, her attorney noted, adding that the act was unintentional. Lollar's mother, Nathalie Jean, rejected the horseplay explanation, telling WTVJ, 'Who horseplays with a knife? You [learn] as a kid that you don't play with sharp objects, right?' She demanded maximum punishment, stating, 'I want the max... A life for a life. She took my son's life for no reason.' Lollar's father, Darveed Lollar, echoed the grief, saying to WPLG, 'By somebody just playing, they took my boy's life.' The family voiced frustration over delays in charging Malik despite clear evidence.