A Fort Lauderdale police detention officer accused of gunning down his girlfriend in front of her 3-year-old daughter — and threatening to kill her weeks before — will remain behind bars, a judge ruled Monday.
Chase Harder, 21, has been held without bond since August, when he was charged with first-degree murder and written threats to kill or injure. Broward Circuit Court Judge Barbara Duffy on Monday denied his motion to be released from the Broward main jail at an Arthur hearing, which allows courts to consider setting bonds for defendants charged with crimes that aren’t usually eligible for bail.
Prosecutor William Sinclair brought with him a USB that included text messages, photos of 24-year-old Dayanna Hurtado’s body, 911 calls made by Hurtado and a copy of the police interview with Harder. But the evidence wasn’t displayed in court after Harder attorney Tamara Curtis of the Broward Public Defender’s Office said she wasn’t arguing that the state hadn’t met its burden.
Curtis called William Harder, the father of the accused killer and a Fort Lauderdale police detective of almost two decades, as a witness. Harder asked the judge to set a bond under $100,000 and said his son would stay with him pending his trial.
Sinclair, however, delved into some of the evidence in the case, including Ring camera footage from the Aug. 15, 2023, night of the murder that he said offered a glimpse into Harder’s premeditation. Harder, he said, “intentionally disconnected” the camera that night and has previously been caught on camera footage pointing a gun at Hurtado’s head.
“That’s how determined he was to end Ms. Hurtado’s life,” Sinclair told Duffy.
Sinclair also read several text messages between Hurtado and Harder that were translated from Spanish. Members of Hurtado’s family, who were present in the courtroom, audibly gasped when hearing some of the texts, which were along the lines of: “My favorite day will be the day I see blood coming out of your head,” “You’re a piece of s—t” and “I hope you die.”
Sinclair also pointed to how weeks before the murder, Hurtado told Coral Spring police that she feared Harder would kill her after he repeatedly threatened her via text.
“It was a call that, unfortunately, went unanswered,” Sinclair said. “Mr. Harder acted on Ms. Hurtado’s greatest fears.”
Curtis, however, argued that Harder wasn’t a threat to the community, mentioning his service as a military police soldier with the Army reserve — and his time with Fort Lauderdale police. But Duffy disagreed.
What happened that night?
On the night of the killing, a neighbor told police he heard a single gunshot — and a child scream — before three additional shots rang out at a nearby Coral Springs apartment. The neighbor, shortly after, saw a man dashing toward a white Mercedes SUV with a child flung over his shoulder.
READ MORE: Broward cop accused of murdering girlfriend. Police say he made threats weeks earlier
When investigators arrived at the home, Hurtado was found dead on the balcony with seven gunshot wounds in the head. Police say Harder dropped the toddler off at her father’s Rivera Beach house after fleeing.
Under the impression there was a warrant out for his arrest, Harder turned himself in, telling detectives that he had argued with Hurtado that night, according to police.
The state isn’t seeking the death penalty against Harder. He faces a life sentence, if convicted.
“The details surrounding these allegations are very difficult to hear and do not reflect the character and professionalism expected of the men and women of our agency,” Fort Lauderdale Police detective Ali Adamson said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to those affected by this horrific incident.”
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