The roommate of the 7/11 manager who allegedly sat on a fellow employee, causing them to lose their life, is speaking to the media for the first time.
Keyra Meierbachtol was living with the 7/11 manager who has not been arrested or prosecuted for the alleged crime.
Now, the manager’s roommate has spoken to the media for the first time, as she tries to raise money to move out.
Keyra Meierbachtol is the roommate of the 7/11 manager who allegedly sat on Jessica McLaughlin
Image credits: ABC7
According to local media, Keyra Meierbachtol posted a video to TikTok recently, asking for help with her situation.
She is living with someone at the center of a tragic, fatal incident, and she is scared.
In June of this year, at a 7/11 in Hollywood in L.A., Jessica McLaughlin, an employee at the convenience store, got into an altercation with her manager, according to McLaughlin’s brother and family.
Image credits: Jessica Mclaughlin
The manager proceeded to sit on top of McLaughlin until she could no longer breathe. When police arrived, McLaughlin had lost consciousness and was brought to the hospital.
But until now, no charges have been brought against the manager, local media reports.
“Felt like the Twilight Zone”: Roommate says she’s been living in fear
Image credits: Sean Mclaughlin/GoFundMe
Speaking with a local TV station, Keyra Meierbachtol describes the moment when her roommate came home from work after allegedly sitting on top of another employee.
"She looked very frazzled and in shock and she just, she just looked really, I don't know, just shocked," Meierbachtol told the reporter.
Meierbachtol said it’s all been just too much to bear.
Image credits: KTLA
"I couldn't feel normal, knowing how grave the situation was. It just felt like, felt like the Twilight Zone. It just felt like, Why doesn't anybody care? When I communicated to the police, even just yesterday, they said that there's a homicide detective involved, but there is still no active warrants," she said in the report.
As it’s been more than a month since any action has been taken, Meierbachtol told Fox 11 that she decided to ask netizens for help.
Image credits: Valeria Parra
“She posted a video on TikTok, which quickly went viral—voicing her fear, frustration, and asking why no warrant had been issued for an arrest,” the news report said.
"There also doesn’t feel like there’s any urgency on the matter. There were plenty of cameras and witnesses … you would think there would be at least something to bring the answers to the public by this point," she said in the report.
It may be self defense”: Netizens speculate on why no arrest has been made
Image credits: Valeria Parra
The story has gripped the public’s attention due to the sensational factor of the crime.
Some people online seemed to agree with Meierbachtol’s assessment.
“This story definitely needs attention. This is not right on any level. The family needs to speak up. They need to sue 7 eleven too,” one person said.
Others point out that there still seem to be missing pieces to the story.
Image credits: Anthony McLaughlin
Still others are suggesting the employee who passed away might have instigated the assault or had a weapon.
“It may be self defense and they are going over it thoroughly before any charges are mentioned,” one person theorized.
At least one person noted that the reporter never seemed to ask Meierbachtol why she waited so long to make her concerns known: “Okay, we're missing a lot of info here. She continued to live with this chick hoping for an arrest? Too bad we don't have journalists anymore.”
Meierbachtol is trying to raise money to move out
Image credits: Jessica Mclaughlin
Meierbachtol is now trying to raise money for herself to change apartments.
On a GoFundMe page started about a week ago, Meierbachtol says that she’s “facing an urgent and unsafe living environment, and I’ve reached a point where I need to leave immediately for my own well-being.”
She says that it’s been overwhelming to be without a safe or stable alternative, so she ‘s now turning to the community for support.
Image credits: Jessica Mclaughlin
“I’m raising funds to cover the full cost of relocating and to make it through this difficult transition without falling into another unsafe or unstable situation,” she said.
She listed temporary relocation and permanent housing amongst the things the funds will go towards, which will also include moving and storage costs, as well as mental health support.
So far, she’s raised just over $600.
“Every contribution helps me take the necessary steps toward safety, peace, and stability,” her page says.
Netizens have a range of opinions on what happened at the 7/11
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