Tavaris Jackson
ESCANABA — Tavaris Jackson of Escanaba rejected a plea deal with prosecutors during a hearing Friday. Jackson is accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Harley Corwin, and leaving her body in OB Fuller Park last year.
Towards the end of the trial, prosecutors Caitlin Kirby and Shawn Ryan Jackson offer a plea deal.
“The offer requires the defendant to plead guilty to count 1, second degree murder, and count 2, assault on a pregnant person causing intentional miscarriage (and/or stillbirth), each as a fourth habitual offender. The people agree to drop count 3,” Ryan said.
The sentence would be between 40 and 80 years, taking into account the time already served.
Defense attorney Diane Kay-Hougaboom said she and her client knew about the settlement offer before the trial.
“I have presented it to my client and we are ready to proceed with the trial,” said Kay-Hougaboom.
The prosecution then asked the court to question Jackson directly.
Economopoulos asked Jackson if he understood the offer of a guilty plea and if he had time to think about it.
“Yeah, I won’t take it,” Jackson replied.
Economopoulos explained to Jackson that if he rejected the offer and went to court, the offer would no longer be available to him.
“We are making this offer from the perspective that we have presented evidence and intend to present evidence at trial from a DNA laboratory analysis from the Michigan State Police laboratory showing that blood was found on the defendant’s glove and shoes,” Ryan said.
She added that they also had phone records showing that Jackson had spent an extended period of time in the park at the scene of Corwin’s death.
Economopoulos gave Jackson another chance to think about the offer, but Jackson did not accept it.
Seconds after the rejection, the offer was taken off the table.
“I would just like to point out now that the offer to settle has been formally rejected because it is not an existing offer and has now been revoked,” Kirby said.
In addition, prosecutors requested that Jackson’s phone privileges be revoked because he violated the bail agreement. One of the conditions of the bail agreement was that Jackson could not have any direct or indirect contact with Harley Corwin’s family or other key people in the case.
Kirby said prosecutors received a report from the Delta County Sheriff’s Office that said a sergeant listened to inmates’ phone calls and found that Jackson was talking to someone on the list of people Jackson was not allowed to contact.
The prosecution argued that the phone call between Jackson and the subject was a direct violation of the bail agreement and that his phone privileges should be revoked. The judge agreed with the prosecution and revoked Jackson’s phone use.
Economopoulos stressed that those affected had not been deprived of a right, but rather a privilege.
Jackson’s trial is scheduled for August 5.
