By: Reney Waters, Follow South Jersey News Reporting Intern
BRIDGETON, N.J. — Two suspects in the shooting death of 10-year-old Vineland native Jasayde Holder will be held in jail pending trial on their charges.
William Harris, 28, who appeared in court Friday before Judge Joseph Chiarello, is accused of killing Holder on July 4th. He faces first-degree murder charges for his alleged involvement in the incident. Additionally, Xavier Bogan, 20, is being held in jail pending trial on first-degree conspiracy to commit murder and third-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charges.
Karonjah Witt, 28, is the third suspect in the case, and he’s charged with first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, third-degree aggravated assault, and a number of gun possession charges.
Bogan admitted to driving Witt and Harris to two locations on July 4th where Witt opened fire. During a hearing, the prosecution believed someone had an altercation with Harris leading up to the shooting. Deputy Public Defender JoEllyn Jones argued Friday that Harris maintained his innocence and was overcharged in the case, arguing that the shooter did not intend to shoot the little girl and it could have been stray fire. She believes that the shooter should face an aggravated manslaughter charge.
In his statement to investigators, Bogan described giving Witt a ride a day before the killing and him picking up a gun during that trip. The day after the killing, he gave Witt another ride and said he smelled of bleach. Witt allegedly explained the bleach smell by saying he needed to get gunpowder off his hands.
Police executed a search warrant on Pine Street in Millville on July 14, where they arrested Harris and seized drugs including 280 oxycodone pills, 222 MDMA pills, and approximately 50 Alprazolam pills, according to court documents. He was also charged with drug possession.
- What’s Good In South Jersey? STEAMWorks To The Rescue – With Isaiah Showell
- Despite Setbacks, Local Muslim Community Gets Closer To New Mosque
- What’s Good In South Jersey? The Unexpected Challenge – With Isaiah Showell
This article was produced by a Follow South Jersey news intern thanks to a grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through the New Jersey Health Initiatives program to create hyper-local news to meet the informational and health needs of the City of Bridgeton, N.J.
