GREENVILLE, NC (WNCT) — Greenville police have arrested and charged a teen in the 2023 murder of a man whose body was found outside Planet Fitness.
Greenville police released a media update Friday evening that announced the news. They also said the teen is involved in a case six months prior, on December 10, 2022, when another young man was shot multiple times in the area of Kinsey Loop in Winterville.
“This afternoon, the Greenville Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team took the 18-year-old male into custody for his involvement in both crimes. Due to the fact he was a juvenile at the time the crimes occurred, we are unable to release his name at this time; however, we can confirm he is the same individual seen on surveillance cameras in the area of Planet Fitness the night of Jayden’s murder.
“As detectives from both the Greenville Police Department and Winterville Police Department worked diligently on their respective cases in the months that followed, they discovered the DNA recovered from the Planet Fitness case matched DNA recovered in the Winterville case. Together, with assistance from the Pitt County District Attorney’s Office, they developed a suspect in both cases.
Greenville family remembers son’s death five months later
“It has been our sincere desire all along to find a resolution in this case and bring forth justice for Jayden and his loved ones. We are pleased to report this evening, with the collaborative efforts of multiple agencies, we were able to do just that.”
In a Facebook post on Friday, Jayden’s mother, Susan, said “My son will have his justice!!! God is almighty and good! Thank you all for your prayers!
Officials said they responded shortly before 1 a.m. on July 4 to 801 Thomas Langston Road for a report of a person in cardiac arrest. First responders found Harrison, 21, of Greenville, dead in the parking lot.
Police later said Harrison was shot and killed in the parking lot.
