The trial of Tavaris Jackson began on Monday. Jackson is pictured during a hearing in 2024. (Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA – The trial of Tavaris Lee Jackson, a man accused of killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend in 2023, will be going on over the next couple of weeks in Delta County’s 47th Circuit Court.

The process of jury selection began Monday, where the judge and attorneys question prospective jurors to decide whether they can be impartial in the proceedings.

Jackson, 35, faces one count of open murder, a felony punishable by up to life in prison, in the death of 22-year-old Harley Corwin. Her body was found in Delta County’s O.B. Fuller Park in Ford River Township in July 2023.

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, also a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment.

According to information presented in previous court proceedings, 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.

The Michigan Attorney General’s (AG) Office will be acting as prosecutor in the trial. The AG’s office has been involved with the case since 2023 when Delta County Prosecutor Lauren Wickman was removed from the case for being a potential witness due to her involvement and assistance with the investigation at the scene of the execution of a search warrant seeking evidence in the homicide.

Jackson’s defense attorneys include Diane Kay-Hougaboom and James Maki.

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

The prosecution intended to call initially former Delta County Sergeant Tom Lewis’ as a witness in trial, as he participated in the investigation. The prosecution further moved to block testimony related to misconduct by Lewis while interacting with a female witness in the case.

Delta County 47th Circuit Court Judge John Economopoulos granted the prosecution’s motion to reject the potential testimony, saying the incident “would take us down a rabbit hole that would confuse the jury, perhaps irreparably, and it could mislead the jury as well.”

Jackson’s attorney, Diane Kay-Hougaboom, then filed an appeal of Economopoulos’ decision on the matter. The trial was rescheduled to Jan. 13 to allow the Appellate Court adequate time to review the motion, although the Court of Appeals did not issue their order on the appeal until July 22, 2025, which further delayed the trial.

Upon review by the Michigan Court of Appeals, Economopoulos’ decision was reversed. The appellate court stated in their July 22, 2025, decision,

“The trial court found that the interaction had no probative value because it did not have any bearing on Sergeant Lewis’s credibility. However, Sergeant Lewis’s intoxication while interviewing a witness, and his threats that she better not ‘hold out’ on him or he would get her in trouble for cocaine, are pertinent to the investigation.”

The appellate court noted that Lewis was involved in the investigation into Corwin’s death, as “the record reflects that he participated in the search for the victim’s body, investigated and took photographs of the scene, searched defendant’s house and participated in multiple witness interviews.”

“The trial court erred when it excluded all allegations of misconduct because the complete exclusion is disproportionate to the purpose of preventing jury confusion,” stated the appellate court.

Both sides are set to present evidence and testimony in one of Delta County’s most closely watched cases in recent years.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.