Case Description

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Summary based on 10 sources

In the summer of 2023, the community of Escanaba, Michigan, was shaken by the death of Harley Rose-Diane Corwin. The 22-year-old White woman was a mother to two young children and was eagerly anticipating the birth of her third child, a son she planned to name Jaiden Jayce-Lee, as she was seven months pregnant. Her life, and that of her unborn son, was tragically cut short in early July.

On July 8, 2023, Harley’s body was discovered in a wooded area in Ford River Township. An autopsy later revealed that she had died from two gunshot wounds to her head. The grim discovery launched a double homicide investigation into her death and the death of her fetus. The news sent ripples of grief through her hometown, where community members organized fundraisers to support her two surviving children.

The investigation quickly focused on Harley’s ex-boyfriend, 32-year-old Tavaris Lee Jackson of Escanaba. Investigators found that Harley had a real-time GPS tracking application called Life360 on her phone. Data from the app showed that on July 3, the last day she was seen alive, the car she was in with Jackson traveled to O.B. Fuller Park and remained there for more than three hours. Jackson was arrested and taken into custody shortly after Harley’s body was found.

Jackson was arraigned in Delta County District Court and charged with open murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and assault resulting in the death of a fetus. After a preliminary examination where evidence was presented, the case was bound over to circuit court for trial. In late 2023, the Michigan Attorney General's Office was appointed as a special prosecutor to take over the case.

As the legal process moved forward, prosecutors offered Jackson a plea deal in 2024, which he rejected. His trial was subsequently scheduled for March 2026. At the conclusion of the trial, a jury found Tavaris Jackson guilty on all counts for the murder of Harley Corwin and her unborn son. The verdict in March 2026 marked the end of the court proceedings in the case.