After hours of careful consideration, the juries involved in the double-jury murder trial of Marcel Johnson and Kentrevious Garard adjourned for the night without reaching a decision.
In JACKSONVILLE, Fla., the murder trial concerning the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Prince Holland and injuries to four others extended late into Wednesday night. Two separate juries faced difficulty in reaching a unanimous decision after extensive deliberations.
Each defendant, Kentrevious Garard and Marcel Johnson, is being judged by a different jury. Neither panel had reached a decision.
After the day’s closing arguments, the jurors commenced their evaluation of the evidence. This followed the prosecution’s details of the events from December 2022, when they claimed 22 bullets were fired into a vehicle at the Moncrief and New Kings Road intersection, with Holland, other teenagers, and their adult coach inside.
The prosecution asserts that Garard was the shooter, with Johnson serving as the getaway driver. In addressing each jury independently, prosecutors argued that Garard is fully aware of his guilt, with evidence decisively proving his culpability on all charges.
Similar assertions were made about Johnson’s involvement, arguing his connection to the murder. Prosecutors claimed, “He was the driver involved in the case of the 13-year-old’s death; his failure to confess to being the shooter indicates his guilt.”
Garard’s defense attorneys argued that no solid evidence connects him directly to the shooting, challenging the existence of any motive, and suggesting that this lack of motive should lead to his exoneration.
“Lack of motive equals a reasonable doubt. And remember, with just one, the law commands a verdict of not guilty,” Garard’s attorney told jurors.
Both juries ended their deliberations for the evening. Garard’s jury left the courthouse about 10:30 p.m., and Johnson’s around 8:30 p.m.
The judge has ordered jurors to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. Thursday, hoping for verdicts in both cases but there is no timetable for how long the decision will take.
First Coast News will continue to provide updates live outside the Duval County Courthouse as the trial unfolds.
