One of three men charged for 8-year-old’s death in court for last time before trial

HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) -- One of the three men charged in connection to an 8-year-old's death was in court on Wednesday, Oct. 8. 

Twenty-two-year-old Jamari Taylor is accused of killing P'Aaris Moore, who was shot and killed in her front yard on December 30, 2022. The Wednesday hearing was to smooth out final details about what the jury will hear during his trial in late October.

Moore was just days away from her ninth birthday when police say three men drove down the 2300 block of Freeman Street and shot her from inside the car.  

Now 20-year-old Rayquan Harvell, 19-year-old Brandon Warner and Taylor were arrested in 2023.

This was the last time Taylor will be in court before his trial in late October. 

Taylor's lawyer, John Rockecharlie, and the Commonwealth's Attorney agreed there will be no mention of gang activity during the trial. Rockecharlie said in court that there is no evidence of Taylor being in a gang. 

The judge is still considering what exactly Rockecharlie is able to ask one of the co-defendants if he testifies.

It was said in court that one of the co-defendants was facing other charges in Prince George County, but those charges were dropped.

The judge has to decide if Rockecharlie is allowed to question if the co-defendant "received any benefits" from the Commonwealth's Attorney in exchange for testifying. The Commonwealth's Attorney said the two were unrelated.

Warner pleaded guilty in March and is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence. Harvell will be back in court later this month. They're both charged with first degree murder and felony use of firearm. 

Taylor's charges are a bit different -- he’s facing those two same charges as well as conspiracy to commit first degree murder. 

His four-day trial is set to start Oct. 27.