ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Monday, a jury trial continued for the Delta County man accused of murdering a pregnant 22-year-old woman.
On July 8, 2023, the body of Harley Corwin was found in the woods of Ford River Township, near Fuller Park. Her ex-boyfriend Tavaris Lee Jackson was arrested on charges of open murder, felony possession of a firearm, and assault intentionally causing the death of a fetus.
Jackson’s trial has been underway for nearly a week. Monday morning’s testimony was focused on an assault that occurred about five months before Corwin’s death. Two people entered her home, punched her in the face, and kicked her in the stomach. While the individuals were masked, Corwin told police she believed one of them was Jackson.
That night, Corwin went to her neighbors’ home for help. The couple living there called 9-1-1 and provided a warm washcloth for Corwin, whose face was bleeding. No one was ever charged for that assault, but the matter is “still pending” according to attorneys.
After playing the 9-1-1 call from that night and calling Corwin’s neighbors to the witness stand, the prosecution turned its focus to two other ex-girlfriends of Jackson’s—Melissa Griffith and Alyvia Edwards. Prior to the start of the trial, the judge granted the prosecution’s motion to admit certain past assault accusations against Jackson, as they show a “propensity for violence” toward women.
Griffith testified about an incident when Jackson “pinned himself against” her while screaming during an argument. She said while she initially called law enforcement, she was “talked into” staying with him and did not pursue charges. Griffith then described the final time she called law enforcement in response to Jackson’s actions.
“He just, like, picked me up by my neck, and the next thing I knew, my feet weren’t touching the ground and everything just kind of went black,” she testified. “… In an instance where I felt like I just couldn’t breathe anymore, he let go. I don’t know if he realized what he was doing or what was going through his head.”
Edwards recalled her own experience with the defendant.
“There were times when he would dig his nails into my arm,” she said. “There were times where he would put his hands on my neck and restrict my breathing, but he would just say he’s joking and it’s not a big deal… There were times when he would just twist my arm.”
Edwards also testified about a night when she said Jackson entered her home unexpectedly.
“When I was sleeping, I felt something wet on me, so it woke me up,” she told the prosecution. “There was a figure standing in front of me in the dark of my room, just standing over me. Not saying anything, just standing there, staring at me.”
The prosecution asked, “Did you see a face of this person?”
“Not his face,” Edwards answered, “but his figure, his clothes.”
Corwin’s last sighting was on July 3, 2023. On Monday afternoon, Michigan State Police Analyst Parker DeGroot reviewed location data taken from both Corwin’s phone and Jackson’s phone, utilizing tracking information from Verizon, AT&T, Life360, and Snapchat.
Data shows both phones traveling to the Fuller Park area, where Corwin was found dead days later. Then, the phones traveled to Menards and Walmart, where Jackson was captured on video alone.
After Corwin’s phone left Fuller Park, a handful of people received messages from her number or social media accounts. However, witnesses like Chloe Benavides testified earlier in the trial about receiving unusual messages from Corwin after her disappearance. One witness described her tone and wording as seeming “off.”
DeGroot described the messages sent from Corwin’s phone to Benavides after her last known sighting, saying, “They were long and kind of rambling messages about the relationships between the victim and the defendant and Chloe.”
The trial will continue on Tuesday. WZMQ 19 will continue to follow the proceedings as they unfold. For our previous report on the trial, click here.
