Jury convicts man of killing carjack victim who was lured to Minneapolis on dating app

Jurors have convicted a man of killing a carjacking victim who was lured by a woman to north Minneapolis on a dating app.

Vernon Sirhyde Archie, 29, of St. Paul was found guilty in Hennepin County District Court of two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Da’Vonte Jovan Adams, 28, of Spring Valley, Minn., in May 2024.

Archie remains jailed ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 11.

His accomplice, Megan Renee Karjala, 24, of Coon Rapids reached a plea agreement in April with the County Attorney’s Office in which 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. Sentencing for Karjala is slated for Aug. 12.

According to criminal complaints against Adams and Karjala:

On May 17, 2024, 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, 2024, 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, 2024, and DNA from Karjala and Archie was inside the vehicle.

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.