DETROIT (WXYZ) — Jaylin Brazier appeared in 36th District Court in Detroit for the first day of his preliminary examination on Tuesday. The prosecution stated 19 witnesses are expected to testify.
The hearing will determine if Brazier will stand trial for allegedly killing his cousin Zion Foster. The 17-year-old was last heard from in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, 2022.
Foster's mother, who was among the nine people who testified Tuesday, said Foster was hanging out with Brazier on Jan. 4 and into the next morning.
Foster's mother, Ciera Milton, broke down in tears when asked to identify Brazier in court.
"She called him her favorite cousin," Milton testified.
The prosecutor asked, "Were they close?"
"Yes,” Milton replied.
According to testimony, Foster's boyfriend, Vertez Gonzalez II, is also one of the last people to hear from her.
The prosecutor had Gonzalez read the text exchange he had with Foster from that night, including the messages he sent her after she stopped responding.
Gonzalez said he sent the following messages the next morning.
He said, "I put, 'Is you alive?' Like, 'Are you alive?'”
The prosecutor asked, "And what was going through your head at that point?"
Gonzalez replied, "I don’t know what's going on. I'm thinking she — I don't know what's going on. Mind you, she would have went home. She would have called me on her other phone. I tried to call her brother and stuff, but nobody's answering. So, I’m just like, ‘what’s going on?'”
Gonzalez said he got Brazier's number from her brother and gave Brazier a call.
The prosecutor asked, "Did you ask him about Zion’s whereabouts?"
Gonzalez replied, "Yeah, he was confused. Like, 'What are you talking about, man?' He was just like, 'Huh?' He was just trying to act like he didn’t know what I was talking about.”
An FBI agent who analyzed Brazier and Foster's cellphone records testified. He noted when Foster's phone location stopped pinging, and he also read questionable Google searches by Brazier.
One of them read, “Are trash trucks also compactors?” The other inquired about the force of a compactor.
Court resumes at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
