Jazmine Vann asked to leave custody for medical treatment after suffering serious injuries in the July crash that killed 3-year-old Yasmeen Shaaf.
SYRACUSE, NY — A judge has refused to reduce bail for a 25-year-old woman charged with second-degree murder in a high-speed crash that killed a 3-year-old girl, rejecting the defendant’s personal request to leave jail while she receives treatment for injuries she suffered in the wreck.
Jazmine U. Vann spoke in Onondaga County Court on Sept. 9 despite advice from her attorneys not to address the judge. Vann said she wanted to be with family, communicate more easily with her defense team and obtain medical treatment for injuries that included a broken femur and ankle. She also told the court that her injured foot had developed serious problems. Judge Matthew Doran left her bail at $500,000, meaning she will remain at the Onondaga County Justice Center while the criminal case continues.
Vann is accused of driving a 2022 Kia Sorento while intoxicated during the early morning hours of July 31 before crashing into a tree near Park Street and DeWitt Street in Syracuse. Three-year-old Yasmeen Shaaf, who was riding in the back seat, suffered fatal injuries. A 7-year-old boy who was also in the vehicle was seriously hurt. Prosecutors initially charged Vann with aggravated vehicular homicide and other offenses before an Onondaga County grand jury indicted her on a second-degree murder charge in August.
Prosecutors allege the events leading to the crash began during a family gathering on Park Street. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said police were called after Vann became involved in an argument with her mother over Vann’s condition and access to her vehicle. According to prosecutors, an officer determined Vann was intoxicated, told her not to drive and arranged for the keys to the Kia to be given to Vann’s sister, Ren’Tasia Broome.
Authorities allege Broome later returned the keys to Vann after police had left. Vann then entered the SUV with her girlfriend, Nathalie Alejandro, and Alejandro’s two children, including Yasmeen. Prosecutors say Vann accelerated as she argued with the people inside the vehicle, reaching about 73 mph in a 30-mph zone. Investigators allege she went through stop signs and a red light before hitting a curb, sending the SUV airborne for about 34 feet and into a tree shortly after midnight.
Vann suffered significant injuries in the crash and appeared in court in a wheelchair during earlier proceedings. At the September bail hearing, she told the judge that the physical and emotional effects of the crash had continued. “I truly understand how serious the situation is,” Vann said. Prosecutors opposed her effort to leave custody, pointing to the death at the center of the criminal case and the seriousness of the allegations against her. Doran declined to change the bail amount.
The second-degree murder count is based on prosecutors’ allegation that Vann acted with depraved indifference to human life. Fitzpatrick has said the decision to pursue the more serious charge was based on the circumstances before and during the drive, including the allegation that police had specifically warned Vann not to operate the vehicle because she was intoxicated. Vann has not been convicted, and prosecutors will be required to prove the charge in court.
Alejandro, 27, was separately charged with criminally negligent homicide after prosecutors alleged she knowingly allowed her children to ride with Vann despite knowing Vann was impaired. Alejandro pleaded guilty Sept. 4. Under her agreement with prosecutors, she must continue cooperating with the investigation and testify truthfully if Vann’s case goes to trial. If she meets those conditions, she is expected to receive five years of probation rather than a prison sentence. Her sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7.
Broome also faces charges connected to the events before the crash. Prosecutors allege she knew her sister was intoxicated when she returned the vehicle keys. Authorities have charged Broome with second-degree manslaughter and two counts of assault. She was being held on $100,000 bond following the charges. Her case, like Vann’s, remains pending, and the accusations against her have not been proven at trial.
Vann remains in the Onondaga County Justice Center after Doran’s decision to keep bail at $500,000. The murder prosecution will continue in Onondaga County Court as her attorneys challenge the allegations and address her medical needs while she is in custody.
Author note: Last updated September 13, 2026.