JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Day 2 of the trial in the killing of 13-year-old Prince Holland, the focus turned to grisly crime-scene evidence and emotional testimony from witnesses including a teenage survivor who was in the vehicle.

Court heard from Rebecca Grant, a former JSO crime scene detective, who testified she processed the scene, photographed the victims’ SUV, and documented bullet impacts, blood spatter, shattered windows, and clothing left behind. 

She walked jurors through more than 300 images showing damage to the vehicle’s exterior and interior, shell casings on the ground, and bullet defects in clothing found at the scene. 

Defense attorneys pressed her on whether any of that evidence could definitively link their clients—Marcel Johnson or Kentrevious Garard—to the actions of the shooting. Grant acknowledged she could not confirm direct ties to either defendant.

Officers who responded to the scene also testified. Officer David Perry described aiding the driver, Jalen Mackintire-Burroughs, who was gravely wounded. 

Officer Travis Ferrari confirmed first responders checked on Prince Holland and the others before evidence collection began.

Perhaps most impactful was testimony from a child who was inside the SUV during the attack. He recounted thinking the gunfire sounded like fireworks, then realizing he had been struck. He described shots coming from the driver’s side and trying to escape as the vehicle was riddled with bullets. However, he could not identify the shooter or recall the color or make of the assailant vehicle. He also said he did not know Johnson or Garard prior to that night.

Johnson’s defense, led by Peter Venuti, emphasized the absence of eyewitnesses placing him at the shooting and the lack of physical evidence tying him to the act. They challenged the relevance of certain images and objected to showing some to Johnson’s jury, with the judge sustaining one such objection.

Garard’s defense, led by John Cascone and Stephanie Jamieson, similarly argued the state’s evidence is circumstantial. They engaged Grant on her inability to identify firearm caliber from casings, and questioned the value of DNA and photography evidence processed days after the scene.

Throughout the day, the court also navigated technical issues — the live feed was briefly pulled when graphic images were shown, and jurors’ availability dates were discussed to keep the trial on schedule.

The shooting occurred on December 3, 2022, as the SUV carrying Prince Holland, fellow teenagers, and a youth football coach sat at an intersection on Moncrief Road and New Kings Road. Prince died from a gunshot wound to the head; two others in the car, including the coach, were also wounded.

Investigators allege Johnson drove the suspect vehicle, while Garard fired the fatal rounds in what they claim was a coordinated attack tied to rival group tensions.

During opening statements, the prosecution previewed plans to present social media evidence (including Johnson’s Instagram Live video showing a handgun), surveillance video, phone records, and testimony from a cooperating witness implicating Garard as the shooter

Defense attorneys have pushed back, arguing that the evidence is not enough to meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.