What started as a routine custody drop-off in Clinton Township has ended with a decades-long prison sentence. Yesterday, 25-year-old Jaion Barnes was ordered to serve up to 60 years behind bars after a jury found him guilty in the 2024 killing of his girlfriend, 23-year-old Tianna Shacari Ross, the mother of his child. Barnes was convicted in February after a six-day trial, and the case has now left the couple's toddler without a parent at home. Prosecutors said the deadly shooting followed an argument during a custody handoff.
Barnes was convicted on Feb. 5 of second-degree murder, felony firearm, weapons possession by a felon and a misdemeanor domestic-violence charge, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office. The office said the six-day jury trial was held before Circuit Court Judge Matthew P. Sabaugh and noted that Barnes faces a habitual offender notice that could extend his time in prison.
Sentence and charges
The court handed down a 40-to-60-year term for the second-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors said the felony-firearm count tacked on an additional two years to be served consecutively, while the weapons-possession charge carried a one-year term with credit for time already served, according to CBS Detroit. Barnes was also ordered to pay more than $9,000 in restitution, the outlet reported.
How prosecutors say the shooting unfolded
According to prosecutors, Ross went to Barnes's home at the Peachtree Apartments on Jan. 15, 2024, to drop off their 2-year-old child when the exchange turned violent and she was shot multiple times. Barnes then fled and later turned himself in, according to reporting from ClickOnDetroit. Testimony at trial included messages and witness accounts that prosecutors said backed up their version of events.
Prosecutor's statement
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said the verdict and sentence send a clear message about accountability and highlighted the impact on the couple's child. "This senseless act has left a child without either parent," Lucido said in a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.
Legal context
Barnes entered the case under a habitual-offender notice, a fourth-offense designation that can trigger longer mandatory terms, a factor prosecutors emphasized in their closing arguments, according to coverage by Law&Crime. Defense attorneys challenged parts of the prosecution's evidence, but jurors ultimately returned guilty verdicts after deliberating.
What comes next
Barnes remains held at the Macomb County Jail while any post-trial motions or appeals are pursued. For those affected by domestic violence, help is available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233, as noted by CBS Detroit.
