Mother remembers 20-year-old daughter allegedly killed by boyfriend as kind, caring

PAYSON, Ariz. (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) - An Arizona mother is sharing memories of her 20-year-old daughter, who was allegedly shot and killed by her boyfriend while in an SUV with a toddler.

Serena Honanie says her daughter, Keonna Honanie, had just celebrated her 20th birthday a couple of weeks before her death. In a written statement, she described her as “a very special daughter, sister, niece and friend.”

Police say 22-year-old Donald Nash fatally shot Keonna Honanie, who was his girlfriend, while in an SUV that was driving through Payson just before 10 a.m. Saturday. Also in the SUV were Nash’s 1-year-old nephew and two other people.

The couple, who were in the back seat with the toddler, had been arguing when police say Nash pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the head. The driver of the SUV pulled into a Denny’s parking lot, and someone called 911. Keonna Honanie was rushed to the hospital, where she later died.

“She was the kind of person to always laugh. She loved to learn,” said Serena Honanie of her daughter.

The mother says she had Keonna Honanie, also known as “Po-Vee,” when she was 15 years old and called her her first love.

“My first everything. We grew together in every which way possible,” she said.

The 20-year-old was from the Village of Tewa on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona and grew up dancing and learning her traditional ways, her mother said. She graduated from high school in May 2023.

“Her favorite was always helping at the ranch with her uncles. She cared for every being, for everyone and everything. She always took care of her family,” Serena Honanie said.

Nash was arrested and booked into the Gila County Jail on one count of second-degree murder, three counts of felony endangerment and one count of resisting arrest.

Investigators say he and Keonna Honanie lived in Phoenix and had a history of domestic violence.