More than a year after 26-year-old Thomas Jerrell Washington was gunned down in a drive-by on a Pontiac street corner, a jury is finally hearing the case. A murder trial opened today in Oakland County Circuit Court, where prosecutors allege the defendant fired from a passing vehicle near Auburn Avenue and Russell Street on June 13, 2025, then took off from the scene.
Trial Opens In Oakland County
The case is being heard by Judge Jeffery Matis, and the defendant is charged with first-degree murder along with several firearms-related counts, according to The Oakland Press. Prosecutors have told the court they intend to lay out both witness testimony and physical evidence for jurors as the trial unfolds, the outlet reported.
How Authorities Say The Killing Unfolded
Investigators say the shooting happened just after 4 p.m. on June 13, 2025, when someone in a gray vehicle opened fire while passing a man standing near Auburn Avenue and Russell Street, CBS Detroit reported. Paramedics found Washington suffering from gunshot wounds, and he later died at a hospital. Police said investigators recovered multiple shell casings at the scene.
Arrest, Probation And Past Convictions
Within hours of the shooting, deputies say they identified a suspect and arrested him during a traffic stop on Middlebelt Road near Long Lake Road in West Bloomfield Township, according to ClickOnDetroit. Local reporting and court records indicate the defendant was on probation at the time of the killing and has prior convictions that include home invasion as well as weapons- and narcotics-related crimes, points that prosecutors have raised in pretrial filings, FOX 2 Detroit noted.
Washington Remembered
Washington’s obituary describes him as a creative who poured his energy into music, photography and comedy and was working on an album at the time of his death. It says he founded a brand called FET, short for “Family Eats Together,” and that he is survived by three children, according to the obituary published on Legacy.com.
What Comes Next
This marks the first major court date in the case since the June 2025 killing. If the defendant is convicted of first-degree murder, he faces the possibility of life in prison under Michigan law. Details on upcoming court dates and additional filings were not immediately available from the prosecutor’s office, and The Oakland Press provided the initial look inside the courtroom proceedings.
