Man charged with murder of 2-year-old boy killed by shots fired into Ridgeland home, police say

An 18-year-old man was charged in connection with the murder of a two-year-old boy after shots were fired into a residence last month in Ridgeland, according to Jasper County Sheriff Chris Malphrus.

Dionte J’chon Habersham, 18, was charged Sept. 11 with the murder of Moises Montano, as well as two counts of attempted murder and three counts of possession of a deadly weapon during a violent crime, Malphrus announced at a press conference last week.

At about 10 p.m. on Aug. 16, the 2-year-old boy was lying in bed with his mother when six bullets struck their mobile home on Fordville Road. The boy was struck in the head, the sheriff said in a previous news conference.

Less than an hour after the incident, the sheriff’s office located two persons of interest, including Habersham, police said.

Malphrus said Wednesday it is possible that a second person will be arrested as the investigation continues.

The Aug. 16 incident began as a “civil dispute over property lines,” according to the sheriff.

Habersham was a relative of the family who lived near the victim’s home and was “not happy about property lines being changed,” Malphrus said in the press conference.

“...Unfortunately, someone took it beyond where it should have been taken,” Malphrus said. “Someone took it into their own hands and now we have a dead child and a man’s life that will be forever changed because of bad choices.”

A second person of interest was identified and questioned but has not been arrested as of Monday.

Malphrus said the family was still “deeply grieving” but that they were thankful that the sheriff’s office is “not giving up on justice for their child.”

“This is a difficult case for everyone,” Malphrus said in last week’s press conference.

This story was originally published September 17, 2018 at 8:33 AM.