ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – A judge has determined that certain statements made by a murder victim can be admitted as evidence when the case goes to trial.
Tavaris Lee Jackson is scheduled to stand trial for the murder of 22-year-old Harley Corwin, whose body was found in the woods of Ford River Township in July of 2023. While the two were in a relationship less than five months earlier, Corwin identified Jackson as one of two individuals who invaded her home and physically assaulted her. She said that they punched her in the face and kicked her in the stomach.
Crowin was newly pregnant at the time of the attack. She had said that Jackson did not want another child and that she was not going to have an abortion.
With the murder trial approaching, the prosecution requested that Corwin’s statements about the home invasion incident be admitted as evidence, as she is not alive to testify in the trial. Corwin spoke with neighbors, law enforcement, a 911 operator, and EMS personnel about the attack and the injuries she sustained.
After telling law enforcement that Jackson was one of the people who attacked her, Corwin later made a Facebook post saying that he had an alibi. However, messages between the two show Jackson talking to Corwin about helping him establish an alibi. Documents show that Corwin also told a detective that Jackson tried to get her to make a Facebook post clearing his name.
Based on Corwin’s statements about Jackson, the prosecution was tasked with showing that by murdering Corwin, Jackson intended to keep her from speaking against him about the home invasion and attack. The judge determined that Corwin’s statements are admissible, as they show Jackson’s propensity for committing acts of violence against her around the time of her murder.
Jackson’s trial is scheduled to begin on March 2, 2026. He faces an open murder charge, as well as charges for felony possession of a firearm at the time of the murder and assault that intentionally caused the death of a fetus.
