BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) — A brother and sister are facing charges for a second time in connection with the murder of a Bluffton High School football player last year.
Jayden and Shaynia Void were indicted by a Beaufort County Grand Jury on charges of “assault and battery by mob” connected to the death of DJ Fields last March.
Jayden faces first, second and third-degree charges. Shaynia second and third degree assault and battery by mob charges.
The pair were originally charged as “accessories to murder” right after the shooting, but those charges were dropped.
DJ Fields was driving down Bluffton Parkway with two friends when a car pulled up next to him and opened fire.
DJ was killed, one of the other passengers hit by the bullets.
Ty Chaneyfield and Jimmie Green have both been indicted for Fields’ murder.
Police say the shooting was a case of “mistaken identity”. The pair got into an argument with another teen who looked like one of the people in the car.
DJ was not the target.
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BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WSAV) – A court’s ruling drops charges against one of the suspects linked to the murder of a Bluffton high school student.
A Magistrate Court judge ruled there was no probable cause to charge Jayden Void with accessory to murder in DJ Fields’ killing.
Fields, 18, was shot and killed while driving in his car along Bluffton Parkway the night of March 5.
Jayden Void was in Beaufort Magistrate Court Friday for a preliminary hearing on charges of accessory to murder.
Investigator Ryan Fazekas of the Bluffton Police Department told a Judge what Jayden told him after the murder.
“Jayden finally admitted he was in the vehicle with his sister Shayniah on the night of March 5, 2021,” explained Fazekas.
Fazekas said Jayden told him he and his sister saw a person they thought was one of Jimmy Green’s “ops” or “opponents” that night at Wendy’s on Highway 170.
“Jayden and Shayniah contacted Jimmy Green via Facetime app and advised him the people he was looking for was at Wendy’s,” said Fazekas.
The person they thought they saw was Jaleel Hoover. It turned out to be Edwin Graham, who was riding with DJ Fields that night.
The 19-year-old Green, 18-year-old Ty Chaneyfield, and a third person referred only to by the name of “Shy”, drove to the scene according to Fazekas.
The investigator says Jayden only thought the teens would fistfight. He quickly found out how wrong he was.
“Jayden recalls seeing the occupants of green’s vehicle shooting at the victim’s vehicle as Green drove past them on Bluffton Parkway,” said Fazekas. “Jayden also described seeing muzzle flashes from the gun sticking out the passenger side windows as the incident occurred.”
The car Green and Chaneyfield were in allegedly then drove away from the scene. DJ Fields car hit the Hampton Lake sign on Bluffton Parkway, then went into the ditch. Fields died at the scene. Edwin Graham was shot and continues to recover. Kylan Simmons, who was also in the car, was injured.
Fazekas then says the Void’s went to Station 300 to get something to eat.
“A person I believe was Jayden Void,” explained Fazekas. “I have not been able to verify that yet. Messaged our victim (DJ Fields) three different times in a 10-minute span. Saying, are you ok?”
In that same time period, Investigators say Shayniah spoke to Jimmy green via Facetime.
“They spoke to Jimmy Green soon after the incident,” testified the investigator. “and Jimmy Green told Jayden, Shayniah to delete all contact information related to Green from their phones.”
Fazekas did admit all the analysis was completed on the Voids’ phones yet. He couldn’t say if every piece of information related to jimmy green was deleted. But all his contact information was deleted.
Defense attorney Keith McCarty then began poking holes in the case. Starting with the fact his client wasn’t the one talking directly to Green.
“The evidence you had actually shows that it was Shayniah Facetiming him during the incident?” said McCarty.
“While the incident was going on yes,” responded Fazekas.
“You don’t have anything that shows Jayden was face timing with Jimmy Green at any time after the incident?” is that correct?”
“That is correct.”
“And you don’t have anything to show that Jayden provided any assistance to jimmy green after this incident?”
“Correct.”
“And you don’t have any evidence that he provided any relief to Jimmy Green, is that correct?”
“Correct.”
McCarty also noted there was nothing in the car the Voids were in that connected him to the killing.
“This is the thinnest of evidence as you can tell by the testimony of the detective and the case of the State,” said the attorney.
“Your honor, being present at the commission of this crime does not make him an accessory,” continued McCarty. “Being present when someone Facetimes someone does not make him an accessory or a participant. especially after the fact.”
“What might happen in the future is not sufficient probable cause,” McCarty told the Judge. “Deleting contact information your honor, I might be guilty of all kinds of accessories for that because I do that myself. An absence of information, an absence of texts does not mean those texts exist.”
After more than an hour of testimony and rebuttals, Judge Frederick Corley made his ruling.
“Just to delete contact information I don’t see any testimony as to how that would be in furtherance of the crime,” explained Judge Corley. “He could have said hey how about getting me a Coke after all this shooting. Whether that’s accessory after the fact, I doubt it. And I quite well may be wrong about this Ms. Campbell, but I do find there no probable cause in this case.”
Jayden Void will be released from prison, but may not be out of the woods yet. The 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office can still take its case directly to a Grand Jury in an attempt to get an indictment.
Shayniah Void remains behind bars in Beaufort County. She has not had a preliminary hearing yet.
Ty Chaneyfield, 18, and Jimmie Green, 19, face murder charges in connection with the killing of Fields. They are awaiting trial.
