Drive-by killed girl playing. Shooter had an argument with someone at her home, prosecutors said.

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A man charged in the shooting death of a 10-year-old Vineland girl celebrating July 4 is believed to have had an earlier dispute with someone else living at the home, prosecutors said in a hearing Thursday.

Jasayde Holder was playing with sparklers and watching fireworks on the front porch of her home in the 700 block of West Earl Drive that evening when someone in a dark colored SUV fired three or four shots , according to prosecutors.

She was shot in the chest and her mother called 911 to report the girl was rushed to hospital. Jasayde died shortly after at Inspira Medical Center in Vineland.

William L. Harris, 28, and Karonjah N. Witt, 28, both of Vineland, and Xavier L. Bogan, 20, of Upper Deerfield Township, were arrested last week on various charges related to the shootout of the girls and another shootout three hours earlier on Francine Drive in Vineland.

Harris is charged with first degree murder, first degree aggravated manslaughter, third degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and felonies of possession of firearms. Witt and Bogan are charged with First Degree Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Third Degree Conspiracy to Commit aggravated assault and multiple weapon offenses.

Investigators have learned that a person living at the home where the fatal shooting took place had a prior altercation with Harris and may have been the intended target, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Elizabeth Vogelsong said in court on Thursday.

Police collected witness information and surveillance footage from several locations and discovered that a vehicle similar to the one reported in the shooting was registered in Bogan. The only difference was a Jesus sticker on the driver’s side rear window of Bogans Jeep Cherokee that was not seen in surveillance footage from the scene, Vogelsong said.

When Bogan indicated that the sticker had been on his vehicle for some time, he was released. Further investigation of the surveillance footage, however, revealed that the vehicle was the same as the one recorded in Bogan and detectives later found he purchased the sticker two days after the murder, authorities said.

Jasayde Holder, 10, was shot and killed in an alleged drive-by shooting in Vineland on July 4, 2021. Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office

Bogan confessed to the cunning and also admitted to driving in Vineland on July 4 and meeting with Harris and Witt, Vogelsong said. With Witt in the front passenger seat and Harris in the back, they proceeded to a house 1,100 block from Francine Drive, where Witt is said to have shot at the occupied residence on several occasions. No injuries were reported.

The trio returned to a house on Main Road and ordered food before heading back that night to West Earl Drive, Vogelsong said. This time, Harris was in the front seat and Witt in the back when Harris opened fire, allegedly hitting the victim as she sat with her mother on the porch, authorities said. Bogan claimed he then dropped Witt and Harris off at the Main Road home, Vogelsong said.

Two handguns were found at this Main Road residence and are awaiting ballistic analysis, the prosecutor noted.

Harris’ attorney, Public Defender Kimberly Schultz, disputed the probable cause of the murder, arguing that the state had not presented sufficient evidence to support the charge.

My client denies the allegations, she said. I think the state is going to have a hard time proving my client’s merit.

Finding the probable cause of the charges against Harris, Superior Court Judge Cristen P. Darrigo noted that the girl was wearing a yellow shirt and was waving sparklers when she was shot, meaning the shooter must have seen people in front of the house.

It’s not just about randomly shooting a house, Darrigo said. It is shooting individuals.

The detention hearing scheduled for Harris did not take place.

Vogelsong said Harris faces a charge of resisting arrest because he allegedly fled when police tried to arrest him last week. He also faces additional drug charges unrelated to the homicide case. She noted that these charges did not appear to be factored into the public safety assessment carried out to determine whether Harris should be released.

Schultz objected, saying she had not received information about the additional charges. After a lengthy discussion, the parties agreed to return to court on Friday for the first appearance on the remaining counts and to continue with the detention hearing on the murder case.

Witts’ detention hearing followed and he was ordered to be held in custody pending trial.

A witness told investigators he drove Witt the day before the murders and said he picked up a handgun on the trip, Vogelsong said. The day after the shooting, this same witness said Witt smelled of bleach and explained that he needed to get rid of the gunpowder.

In ordering Witts’ detention, Darrigo cited the evidence presented and the seriousness of the allegations.

You look at the strength of state evidence and what the allegations are and you have some of the most reckless and dangerous behaviors, the judge said. It is extremely reckless and dangerous.

Bogan is due to appear for his detention hearing on Monday and currently remains in jail.

Jasayde, who would have started fifth grade in the fall, has been remembered by her grandmother, Tonie Holder, as a vibrant, beautiful young girl with her whole life ahead of her.

She didn’t deserve to die so violently at the hands of armed punks, she said last week. I pray that God will give me the strength to find forgiveness in my heart for the men involved in the death of Jasaydes.

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Matt Gray can be contacted at [email protected].

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