Prosecutor: 2 men found guilty of murdering, kidnapping Fort Drum soldier in 2020
Two men, including a fellow soldier, found guilty in the murder and kidnapping of Cpl. Hayden Harris.
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Sussex County prosecutors say two men from Brooklyn were found guilty in the murder and kidnapping of a soldier stationed at Fort Drum, New York.
Prosecutors say Jamaal Mellish, a fellow soldier, and Hannan Aiken abducted Cpl. Hayden Harris at gunpoint in New York and then fatally shot him.
Police say they found Harris’ body in the wooded area off the end of Ross Road in the East Brookwood section of Byram Township. They say Mellish and Aiken were motivated to kill Harris over a vehicle transaction dispute.
Mellish and Aiken were found guilty of multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping and carjacking.
MORE: Fort Drum soldier, teen charged in death of Army soldier, authorities say
Hayden Harris, of Guys, Tennessee, was an infantryman with the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, before he joined the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in July 2019.
Fort Drum is located near the Canadian border, around 80 miles north of Syracuse.
His awards and decorations include two Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon. He graduated Air Assault School in 2019.
He was promoted from specialist to corporal following his death.
AP Wire services contributed to this report.
