A Macomb County man has been convicted on charges of second-degree murder and related offenses in the killing of his girlfriend, per authorities. ClickOnDetroit reports that 25-year-old Jaion Barnes of Clinton Township was found guilty for the January 2024 shooting of Tianna Ross, his girlfriend and the mother of his child, following a six-day trial. Barnes, who had a prior felony conviction, was also slapped with charges including felony firearm, weapons possession by a felon, and domestic violence.
During the trial, the court heard that Ross, 23, was shot multiple times in the hallway of her boyfriend’s home while dropping off their 2-year-old child. CBS Detroit reported that the January 15, 2024, encounter escalated into violence, after which Barnes fled and later turned himself in. The murder charge carries a potential life sentence. Barnes remains in custody, with sentencing scheduled for March 26.
Prosecutors presented a case characterized by a history of domestic abuse and text messages between the couple as evidence. Assistant Macomb Prosecutor Elizabeth Abbo revealed that only one week before the shooting, Barnes had texted Ross, promising, "On my son, I will never put my hands on you again." The proceedings detailed a gruesome scene of the crime, with two shots to the victim's face and one to the stomach, as reported by Macomb Daily.
According to CBS Detroit, discussing the aftermath, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said, "Today's verdict holds the defendant accountable for the brutal murder of his girlfriend, the mother of his own child." Despite the argument presented by Barnes' defense attorney, which highlighted the lack of eyewitnesses and suggested that the evidence was circumstantial, the jury's conviction arrived after less than three hours of deliberation. This senseless act has now left a young child without either of their parents.
