JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two men charged in the tragic drive-by shooting death of 13-year-old Prince Holland in 2022 will face separate juries in their combined trial.
Selection for those juries begins Monday.
Kentrevious Garard, 27, and Marcel Johnson, 25, are both facing first-degree murder charges in connection with the teen’s death.
NOTE: News4JAX will begin streaming the trial after the juries have been selected.
One key part of pre-trial discussions has been whether or not rap videos can be used as evidence against the men.
Originally, Judge Jeb Branham agreed to allow the prosecutors to use as much video evidence as they needed to show a connection between the two defendants.
Branham also said, “The State may further show any portions of the videos that discuss 320 or proposed violent actions towards ‘ops,’ i.e. rival groups or gangs.”
But Garard’s attorneys continued to push back against the relevance of the videos, saying they are not disputing that the two men know each other and arguing that the videos could be prejudicial to the jury.
In a 2023 news conference, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said that Holland’s shooting was linked to “two rival street groups.”
Garard’s attorneys argue that he is not a documented gang member, the state hasn’t offered any evidence that he is connected to the two groups in question and that the videos have no bearing on the facts of the case.
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According to investigators, in December 2022, Johnson drove a car while Garard fired shots at an SUV at the intersection of Moncrief and New Kings Road, killing Holland.
Another young boy and their football coach, who was driving, were also hit.
Last year, the State Attorney’s Office released evidence, including footage and phone calls related to the investigation. A nearly four-hour-long interrogation of Johnson was also made public.
MORE | New evidence images, 911 calls released nearly a year after murder of 13-year-old Prince Holland
During the interrogation, Johnson reportedly told detectives about the tension between him and Garard as they followed the red SUV carrying Holland from football tryouts.
According to Johnson, when they reached an intersection, Garard allegedly instructed him to “let the shots off.”
The police reported that more than 20 bullets were fired during the incident. Johnson has claimed that Garard threatened him to ensure his silence about the events that transpired.