ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The 47th Circuit Court in Delta County is days away from the start of a murder trial, which is expected to last roughly three weeks.
In July of 2023, police located the body of 22-year-old Harley Corwin in the woods of Ford River Township. Corwin was pregnant at the time of her death, and she was found with two bullet wounds in her head. Tavaris Lee Jackson, who was 32 at the time, was arrested on an open murder charge. He also faces one count of felony possession of a firearm and one count of assault intentionally causing the death of a fetus.
That fall, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office took over prosecution of the case. The trial date has been pushed back several times in the years since.
Because Corwin is not alive to testify, the jury will hear statements she made to police about Jackson regarding incidents of domestic violence. The prosecution is also permitted to call an expert witness, who may provide context for Corwin’s action as a victim of that violence.
Jury selection for the trial began on Monday, March 2. The trial will begin once a full jury has been found. WZMQ 19 will have a reporter in the courtroom to follow the trial as it unfolds.
