A Saginaw jury is now deciding whether a recently paroled man gunned down 22-year-old Marquaveus Baston in an apartment complex parking lot, in a case centered on allegations that the victim had previously testified against the defendant.
Jurors began deliberating Thursday in Saginaw County Circuit Court in the trial of Deangelo M. McNeal, who is accused of the March 20, 2025, shooting in the Birch Park Apartments parking lot. Judge Darnell Jackson sent the panel to the jury room after the closing arguments, according to court reporting. Prosecutors told jurors that McNeal, who they said is sometimes known by the nickname “North Side,” was the gunman, while the defense urged the panel to see reasonable doubt, as reported by MLive.
Scene and victim
The shooting unfolded in the Birch Park Apartments parking lot on March 20, 2025, where officers found Baston suffering from gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Local coverage and the victim’s obituary state that officers were dispatched to the 3000 block of Birch Park Drive around 9:33 p.m. and that Baston was 22 and a 2022 graduate of Saginaw High School, as reported by Legacy.
Parole and criminal history
State records show McNeal was paroled on Oct. 15, 2024, and remained under active supervision when the killing took place, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections’ Offender Tracking Information System. The OTIS profile lists multiple prior convictions and weapons-related sentences going back more than a decade and notes that he was sentenced in January 2023 on weapons counts stemming from a July 2020 offense, per MDOC OTIS.
What jurors heard in court
Prosecutors played surveillance footage they say shows a man walking up to a parked GMC Yukon and opening fire. Addressing the panel, prosecutor John K. Kauten argued, “When Deangelo McNeal pointed that gun at Marquaveus Baston, he absolutely intended to kill,” according to MLive.
Defense attorney Ayiteh Sowah countered that the evidence leaves room for reasonable doubt, pointing to inconsistencies in witness accounts. Court reporting notes that McNeal did not take the stand in his own defense.
Charges and legal consequences
McNeal faces a count of open murder along with several weapons charges, including offenses prosecutors described as felon in possession, carrying a concealed weapon, and multiple felony-firearm counts. Prosecutors have also charged Lois L. “Lo” Thomas with accessory after the fact, according to court reporting.
Under Michigan law, a felony-firearm is a separate crime that carries a mandatory prison term that must run consecutively to any underlying sentence. The statute sets a two-year term for a first felony-firearm conviction, five years for a second, and ten years for a third or subsequent conviction, according to the Michigan Legislature. Prosecutors told jurors that if McNeal is convicted, those firearm penalties could substantially increase his total time behind bars.
Jurors were sent out to deliberate yesterday, and the court did not set a specific time for a verdict. The trial remains active, and the jury’s decision will determine whether the case proceeds to sentencing or to a new phase of legal wrangling.
