ALLEGAN COUNTY (WKZO) — A Hopkins teen will spend most of his adult life behind bars for raping and killing an older female cousin and slitting his grandmother’s throat after agreeing to plea deal with Allegan County Prosecutor Fred Anderson.
They will recommend 40 to 60 years in prison for Joshua Keyzer when he is sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Margaret Bakker on June 15th, rather than life without parole.
The boy was 15 last June 21 when detectives say that he raped his 21-year-old cousin Kassandra Keyzer and and then stabbed her to death in the Wayland-area home of his grandmother.
67-year-old Sharon Keyzer’s throat was slashed by the teen when she attempted to stop the assault. Despite that injury, she managed to call9-1-1.
Keyzer was Tased by authorities after he jumped from the roof of the house, attempting to flee the scene.
Sharon Keyzer recovered from her wounds, but died of an unrelated illness last December.
Joshua Keyzer offered no explanation for his actions while submitting his guilty plea to felony murder and rape charges.
