Testimony focuses on digital evidence in teen's murder trial
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The trial’s fourth day focused on digital evidence as jurors heard reviewed cell phone records, surveillance footage and confessional tapes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Day four of testimony in the trial over the killing of 13-year-old Prince Holland centered on digital evidence, social media, and a disputed jail phone call that prosecutors say ties one of the defendants to the aftermath of the crime.

The morning opened with arguments over whether jurors should hear a recorded jail call between defendant Kentravious Garard and his ex-girlfriend. 

After several rounds of debate, Judge Branham ruled the call could be entered into evidence.

Later, jurors heard from FBI Special Agent Bobby Dwight, a cellular analysis expert who walked them through phone data from the night of the shooting. 

Dwight emphasized that cell tower records are not GPS and only provide approximate coverage areas. Defense attorneys underscored that point, reminding jurors that the data cannot confirm who was using the phones or place anyone at the exact scene of the shooting.

The prosecution later called Sergeant T.C. Mitling, the lead homicide detective with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, who walked jurors through surveillance videos showing a blue Kia Rio trailing the victim’s vehicle before and after the shooting. Investigators say that car was registered to Johnson’s grandmother, Elizabeth Franklin.

Footage from multiple cameras, including nearby businesses and traffic intersections, showed the blue Kia and red SUV moving in sequence before a flash of gunfire. Holland’s family remained composed but appeared shaken in the court’s audience as the videos played in court.

Mitling testified that social media also played a key role in the investigation, referencing a post made by another man just 30 minutes after the shooting, in which he said, “If they say I did it, I did it.”

Detectives later secured search warrants for the defendants’ cell phone records, iCloud data, and Instagram accounts, helping investigators piece together their movements and communication in the hours surrounding the shooting.

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