July 19 – BUFFALO – One of two Buffalo teenagers charged in the shooting death of a Falls teenager during a botched marijuana sale will get a new defense attorney.
But he also received a warning from an Erie County Court judge about “playing games” in a case where he faces two counts of second-degree murder and a single first-degree robbery charge.
18-year-old Jaylin J. Reimers and a now 15-year-old co-defendant are charged with killing 16-year-old Emily Keiper of a fall while sitting in the passenger seat of a car on Elmer Avenue just after midnight Aug. 19, 2022, while the 20-year-old driver of the vehicle attempted to purchase marijuana. Keiper died of a gunshot wound which Reimers, over the objections of his former lawyer, called “a complete accident”.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn described the case as “allegedly a marijuana sale gone bad.”
But Reimers, speaking to Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan, again over her attorney’s objections, said the murder had “nothing to do with a robbery”.
Reimers had weighed a plea offer from prosecutors that would cap a possible prison sentence at 20 years in exchange for a guilty plea to a first-degree manslaughter charge. He would face a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum of 25 years in prison for life if convicted of the murder and robbery charges.
However, he complained of “problems” with his lawyer and suggested his charges were racist.
Eagan said she would appoint a new attorney to represent him, but told Reimers he was “playing games” and “misrepresenting the facts” in her case.