Tavaris Lee Jackson

ESCANABA – The trial for a man accused of murdering a 22-year-old pregnant woman has been postponed.

Tavaris Lee Jackson of Delta County is accused of murdering 22-year-old Harley Corwin and leaving her body in O.B. Fuller Park in Ford River Township in July 2023. According to information presented in court, Corwin was shot twice in the head, with one shot entering from the back of the head and the other from the front.

There was no apparent injury to the fetus, suggesting it died as a result of Corwin’s death and not due to any other trauma.

Jackson was arrested in July of 2023 and faces charges of open murder, felony possession of a firearm at the time of the murder, and assault intentionally causing the death of a fetus.

The trial was originally scheduled for Aug. 5 of 2024, but the defense motioned for a stay pending the ruling of the Appellate Court related to certain testimony and whether it should be admissible.

The defense requested a stay of proceedings as they awaited a response to an interlocutory appeal from the Michigan Court of Appeals.

The defenses’ original appeal that delayed the trial to Jan. 13 is in regard to testimony from now retired Det. Sgt. Tom Lewis.

Lewis had an interaction with a potential witness that Defense Attorney Diane Kay-Hougaboom, who is representing Jackson, argued on June 28 would call into question Lewis’ character.

According to information presented in open court, the off-duty sergeant was too drunk to drive when a female witness contacted him about Corwin’s murder. He invited the witness to his home, gave her alcohol, repeatedly told her “you’d better not hold out on me,” and suggested he would “get her in trouble regarding” cocaine use if she did not cooperate with him.

He was given a two-day suspension from the Delta County Sheriff’s Office.

Lewis became a focal point in preliminary hearings, ultimately resulting in the defense’s motion to stay, which initially delayed the trial.

Lewis is no longer with the department as his last day was October 31.

He retired after 25 years of service.

Judge John Economopoulos ruled that testimony about the incident “would take us down a rabbit hole that would confuse the jury, perhaps irreparably, and it could mislead the jury as well.”

“The court believes that although the evidence would be relevant, I don’t believe it would pass the standard,” Econompoulous said, referencing court rules, which prohibit evidence — even if relevant — from being presented in certain cases.

The defense ultimately appealed the ruling, and requested a stay while the Court of Appeals makes a decision.

Economopoulos granted the defenses’ request, moving the trial to Jan. 13, citing Michigan Court Ruling 6.126 which states: “Where the court makes a decision on the admissibility of evidence and the prosecutor or the defendant files an interlocutory application for leave to appeal seeking to reverse that decision, the court shall stay proceedings pending resolution of the application in the Court of Appeals, unless the court makes findings that the evidence is clearly cumulative or that an appeal is frivolous because legal precedent is clearly against the party’s position.”

The trial is now delayed again as the court awaits the decision regarding an appeal and a new date has not been scheduled. The court will not schedule a trial until hearing back from the Court of Appeals.

“Defendant Jackson is appealing a Court ruling to limit cross examination to what is pertinent to the case at hand. The trial is stayed by order of the Court pending the outcome of this appeal and the previously scheduled trial date of January 13th has been removed from the docket. This department’s first brief in the appeal will be filed in accordance with a January 13th deadline set by the Court,” said Press Secretary for the AG’s office, Danny Wimmer.