New details emerge in Zion Foster case • Live frog found in spinach sold at Meijer • Westland church to close
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Jaylin Brazier was bound over for trial after the second day of his court hearing in the murder of his cousin - 19-year-old Zion Foster, whose body was never found.
He sat in court emotionless during the hearing as details emerged about Zion’s bank accounts and text messages — prosecutors say — Brazier shared with his girlfriend.
One message, which had a link to a Google search questioning if Brazier could be charged for murder if a body isn’t discovered.
We also heard recordings of DPD’s interrogation of Brazier after Zion’s disappearance.
Detroit police Sgt. Shannon Jones took the stand and read some of Brazier’s responses of that January night in 2022. In that police interview he said that he believed his cousin died after smoking marijuana at his home while his two children slept upstairs.
"'She said she was tired so I let her sleep a little bit, and went into the kitchen to get something to drink. When I came back out, I saw Zion’s head was tilted back on the couch and she wasn’t responding."
Jones says Brazier told them he panicked and didn’t dial 911 for fear of looking like he murdered her. That’s why Brazier said he dumped Zion’s body in a dumpster near a business.
Jaylin Brazier. Inset: Zion Foster
For months last year, authorities from several police departments searched a large landfill but never found Zion’s body.
Judge Kenneth King asked the DPD sergeant about the search.
"I can tell you that we did enough research to not be on a wild goose chase, to spend five months searching through trash for someone’s child," said Jones.
The chilling testimony on Wednesday followed an emotional first day.
Zion’s mom, Ciera Milton, took the stand Tuesday and talked about the exhaustive search for her daughter’s body.
Attorneys discussed text messages, they say, were sent from Brazier about how this case has taken a toll on him.
Live frog found in spinach container in Southfield Meijer
A Southfield woman says she found a frog in her sealed package of spinach. "My daughter was screaming, she was like 'Oh my God, it’s a frog,' and I was like, 'What?" said Amber Worrick.
Camouflaged among the spinach was a frog, alive and moving. Amber Worrick doesn’t want to be forever known as the frog lady, so she’s kept her face out of this story. This week – Worrick said she got it while shopping at Meijer off Telegraph at 12 Mile after buying a package of Earthbound Farms Organic Spinach.
"I didn't see anything didn't feel heavy, I didn't feel anything wiggling," Worrick said. But when she got it home her daughter spotted it. Turns out, it is a Pacific tree frog – native to California.
Worrick says she immediately went back to Meijer with the spinach – and frog in tow. FOX 2 followed up with Meijer on Wednesday. They told us that the frog is alive and well – and relocated to a new home, outside, by their team members. She got a full refund but admits hoping for a little something more for her inconvenience. The parent company Taylor Farms apologized.
Westland church closes after poor attendance, finances
The final mass inside the Saint Simon and Jude Church in Westland will be an emotional one for its congregation. That includes its President of the Council Karen Finley, who said she was baptized inside the church which is no longer able to stay open due to poor attendance and finances.
"Lots of emotions. Sad feelings, uneasy feelings, unsure feelings, what am I going to do next feelings," she explained how she felt after hearing this news. The parishioners are getting older while new people haven't joined the church which can hold up to 1,000 people.
But last week, only 100 showed up.
"I’m sure the Covid pandemic did not help at all. Across the board we're seeing people not coming back to church in numbers that they had been previously," said Paul Zbytowski, Director of Mission Support, Family of Parishes. The final mass is Oct. 1.
10 false electors expected to be arraigned
Ten of the 16 individuals charged in a fake elector scheme allegedly orchestrated as a means to cast Michigan's electoral count for Donald Trump during the 2020 election are expected to be arraigned Thursday.
Kathleen Berden, William Choate, Amy Facchinello, Clifford Frost, John Haggard, Timothy King, Michele Lundgren, James Renner, Mayra Rodriguez, and Kenneth Thompson are expected to be arraigned in the 54th District court in Lansing.
Meshawn Maddock, another individual charged in the case by Attorney General Dana Nessel, is also expected in court for a motion hearing. Each defendant has been charged with eight counts ranging from conspiracy to forgery as well as uttering and publishing.
The recent indictment of Trump in the scheme further revealed how allies of the former president intended to have supporters cast electoral ballots for him instead of Joe Biden, who won Michigan and several other states.
Taylor woman charged with performing sex acts on dog
In a shocking story out of Taylor, a 30-year-old woman has been charged for allegedly having sex with her dog after her ex-boyfriend said he discovered the disgusting act caught on video.
Brittany McClure was arrested this week for sodomy and animal abuse against the couple's dog, Max. According to police, McClure's boyfriend turned the woman in after finding the act on surveillance cameras set up in the living room of the home.
Det. Philip Collop analyzed the 6-minute-long video before ultimately securing charges against McClure. The lieutenant with the Taylor Police Department said he had never seen anything like the case before.
The dog was not hurt and Canning said is back in the care of her ex-boyfriend. She was ordered not to have any contact with animals and the judge set a bond at $100,000. Police said McClure said this was the only time she had done this.
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Daily Forecast
Be ready for a little rain and a little sun Thursday with showers expected by midday. It'll be mostly dry Friday before more rain kicks off the weekend.
What else we're watching
- State police and county sheriffs out of Livingston worked together to rescue a woman who was injured after she crashed into a tree earlier this week. She was discovered two days after the crash with severe injuries.
- Torrion Hudson, the man who pled guilty to a non-fatal shooting of a woman in Detroit is expected to be sentenced today. He was the subject of a dispute over a bond that relatives of the victim believed was too light.
- Evergreen Action and the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council will join the lieutenant governor in unveiling a new report that details the impact of climate legislation on energy bills. It will showcase the economic benefits of climate legislation.
- The Friends of the Detroit River will be at Lake Erie Metropark for a mobile boat wash. The goal of the event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be to remove invasive species from the hull of the boats - a common way for critters to get around.
- Taco Bell said it'll be giving away free tacos on Sept. 12 to celebrate trademark Taco Tuesday ending.
Disney enters sports betting business with $2B ESPN Bet deal
You know ESPN the sports media giant. Now brace yourself for ESPN Bet, a rebranding of an existing sports-betting app owned by Penn Entertainment, which is paying $1.5 billion plus other considerations for exclusive rights to the ESPN name.
The deal, announced Tuesday, could take Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN into uncharted waters. Disney is fiercely protective of its family-friendly image, not typically associated with the world of sports gambling.
Penn will operate ESPN Bet, which ESPN has agreed to promote across its online and broadcast platforms in order to generate "maximum fan awareness" of the app. ESPN Bet will also have unspecified "access" to ESPN talent, the companies said.