Mar. 15—GRAND FORKS — The case against a 17-year-old accused of murdering a 24-year-old man by stabbing him during an altercation has been transferred to adult criminal court.

Cazmere G. Haskins, of Grand Forks, is charged with Class AA felony murder — intentional, knowing, or with extreme indifference. The crime has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The charge is the result of

a suspected homicide

that occurred sometime around 3 a.m. on March 7.

That night, a group of individuals had spoken with each other about “some relationship issues” and agreed to fight, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

Both parties agreed to meet in the parking lot of 1751 36th Ave. S., the affidavit said.

Anfernee Economy — unnamed in the affidavit but identified in a Grand Forks Police Department press release — along with three unnamed friends, exited the apartment building and went west between two rows of garages. There, they met Haskins, who was with a group of six unnamed friends, the affidavit said.

Law enforcement obtained video footage — from both groups — that captured the following altercation.

Haskins is seen walking up, brandishing a silver straight blade knife, within the first 10 to 15 seconds of the fight beginning, the affidavit said.

The video clips are approximately three minutes long. Haskins can be seen displaying the knife multiple times throughout the fight, according to the affidavit.

At one point, Haskins allegedly had the knife displayed and made a statement along the lines of, “Try something, (expletive).”

Other comments heard on the recording include: “who killed who,” “we poked a (expletive), too,” and “we got a dead —” before the recording ends, the affidavit said.

When law enforcement arrived on scene, they found Economy, who appeared to have suffered a stab wound to the torso. He was pronounced dead on scene.

After leaving the altercation, Haskins allegedly sent images in a chat thread of the suspected knife with a red substance on the blade that appeared to be blood.

Under Miranda, and with a guardian present, Haskins admitted to stabbing Economy once in the chest with the hunting-style knife, the affidavit said.

Haskins said he was acting in self-defense, according to the affidavit.

A search warrant was executed at Haskins’ residence, where police say the suspected knife from the video was found inside his bedroom. The knife appeared to still have blood on it, the affidavit said.

These documents were not available until Haskins’ case was moved to adult criminal court and documents were filed on Friday afternoon, March 15.

The Herald spoke with Grand Forks County State’s Attorney Haley Wamstad about how the state decides whether to charge a juvenile as an adult.

“Charges are initially filed in juvenile court, and a hearing is held,” Wamstad said. “Once the judge receives notice of the state’s intent to transfer the case to adult court, the judge will make a probable cause determination as to whether there’s sufficient evidence, and whether it meets the criteria for transfer to adult court.”

Criteria depends on factors such as the individual’s age and the type of offense. Sometimes, a juvenile’s record, and whether it seems likely they’ll be receptive to treatment and rehabilitation plays a role.

“It often is because they maybe have a lengthy juvenile court history, and juvenile court has tried everything within their disposal, and the child has continued to commit offenses,” Wamstad said.

Though Wamstad declined to comment much specifically on this case, due to its active nature, she confirmed that the decision was more relevant to Haskins’ age and type of offense.

North Dakota Century Code 27-20.4-21 explains the transfer process. When a child is at least 14 years old at the time of the alleged offense, there’s sufficient reason to believe they committed the crime and the offense is one of a few listed (including murder), the court can transfer the case.

Wamstad said that transferring juveniles to adult court is not something that happens frequently, though she has seen it before.

Haskins’ initial appearance in adult criminal court is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 18.