Doug Stanglin

USA TODAY

Two men were denied bail Tuesday on a string of charges, including second-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery, in connection with a carjacking in north Philadelphia last week that killed three children when the vehicle plowed into a family selling fruit on a a street corner.

The pair, 23-year-old Cornelius Crawford and 19-year-old Johnathan Rosa, were arraigned early Tuesday. Crawford was arrested Sunday. Rosa, accompanied by his mother, surrendered to police and allegedly confessed to the incident, CBS Philly reports.

"This is one of the saddest and most tragic incidents that [investigators] ran across,"Philadelphia Police Capt. James Clark said at a news briefing Monday. "As a result of that, everyone worked very hard for the last three days -- night in and night out. No one wanted to go home, to make sure that we brought these individuals to justice, and we did that."

The men are accused of forcing a 45-year-old real estate agent into her SUV, sexually abusing her, and speeding off. The crash occurred about 15 minutes after the abduction and about a mile away.

Killed were 15-year-old Keiearra Williams, 10-year-old Thomas Reed and 7-year-old Terrence Moore, who had been selling fruit on the sidewalk for a church fundraiser. Their mother was injured, along with a friend.

The carjacking victim, who is still hospitalized, was apparently abducted at random, according to police.

According to Rosa's attorney, Christopher Warren, the suspect told his mother he was shaken by seeing pictures of the young victims and decided to surrender.

"I just left him. He is in shambles, and he literally cannot erase the image of that poor child coming over the hood of the car," Warren said, WPVI-TV reports. "It haunts him like you wouldn't believe."

Rosa allegedly told police that Crawford was speeding when the Toyota 4Runner blew a tire, CBS Philly reports. The suspects fled on foot.

Crawford, described as homeless, was released on parole in 2013 after serving the minimum of a 5-13 year sentence for robbery.

A vigil was planned at the crash site at Germantown Ave. and West Allegheny. The city, which owns part of the lot where the accident occurred, is considering creating a permanent memorial there, according to CBS Philly.

Contributing: Associated Press

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