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ESCANABA -- A judge has ruled that GPS data can be used as evidence in the trial of an Escanaba man who is accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend last July.
Tavaris Jackson, age 33, faces one count of open murder, a felony punishable by up to life in prison, for the murder of 22-year old Harley Corwin. He also faces one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, a two-year felony, and assault resulting in the death of a fetus, a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment.
According to an interrogation video presented in open court during a preliminary examination hearing last August, Jackson told police he went on a drive with Corwin towards Cedar River on July 3, 2023 to talk. They left Jackson's home in his truck and headed south on M-35, but partway through the drive Corwin fell asleep and he brought her back to Escanaba.
While there is no debate that Jackson did travel south on M-35 with Corwin on July 3 -- a fact corroborated by security camera footage from The Store gas station -- Corwin herself left evidence that it was not a simple drive. She had installed an app on her phone called Life360, a real-time GPS tracking application designed to allow friends and family members to know where someone is at all times.
The app tracked Jackson's car into O.B. Fuller Park, where it sat motionless for more than three hours, between 1:45 p.m. and 4:54 p.m. Corwin's body was discovered in the park on July 8, about 100 yards off of a two-track road and covered with grass.
According to Haaris Iqeal, a forensic pathologist who attended the August preliminary examination remotely and who had performed the autopsy on Corwin, Corwin was shot twice in the head. Both shots were from the right side, but one bullet entered from the front of her head and one from the back. Either wound would have been fatal.
The app on Corwin's phone also tracked Jackson's car after his return to Escanaba, including a trip he made to a grocery store and a trip to Menards with some of his children. While at Menards, Jackson said he bought his children toys and a shovel he intended to use to build a fire pit in his yard. Corwin is not shown in any of the surveillance footage from the stores.
The cellphone itself was never recovered by law enforcement -- a key argument made during Monday's hearing, where the defense made a motion to have the location data barred from Jackson's upcoming trial. Because the phone has not been located, the defense said it was impossible to know what settings or other apps may have affected the tracking from Life360. It was also noted that weather, terrain or other factors could have blocked GPS signals.
"Whether the evidence is actually authentic or genuine as a matter of fact is for a jury to decide," said Circuit Court Judge John Economopoulos, who denied the defense's motion. "Parties can argue to the jury whether the evidence is, in fact, genuine and reliable."
The defense also requested an in camera review -- that is, a review of documents and facts by the judge outside of open court -- related to actions by a Delta County Sheriff's Office sergeant who was approached by a witness. According to a compliant cited by the defense, the off-duty sergeant was too drunk to drive, invited the witness to his home, gave her alcohol, and suggested he would "get her in trouble regarding" cocaine use if she did not cooperate with him.
Another document referenced by the defense indicates the officer was given a two-day suspension. Economopoulos ordered the in camera review of the incident.
Jackson is scheduled for trial on Aug. 5.