A Macomb County jury convicted 21-year-old Clinton Township resident Jayden Armez Shazier of second-degree murder in the beating and strangling death of his aunt, Monique Shazier. Jurors deliberated for less than three hours after a six-day trial before Judge Richard Caretti in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens, according to Macomb Daily.
Prosecutors said Shazier went to his aunt's apartment at Harper Square Apartments near Gratiot Avenue and Metropolitan Parkway on the morning of March 18, 2025. They argued that his phone being turned off from 8:31 a.m. until 11:17 a.m. helped place him at the apartment during the killing, which prosecutors said occurred at about 10:57 a.m., according to Macomb Daily.
Assistant Macomb County Prosecutor Anthony Sorentino told jurors the case was based largely on circumstantial evidence but argued that the evidence was overwhelming. Trial testimony included a neighbor's report of screams followed by a cracking sound, as well as evidence of blood and water throughout parts of the apartment.
A Sister's Discovery and a Chilling Admission
Monique Shazier's sister, Danielle Jackson, who is also Jayden Shazier's mother, found the body at about 6 p.m. that day and called 911 shortly afterward. Jackson testified that the bathroom shower was still running and that the room was hot and steamy. She also told jurors that her son later acknowledged putting his hands around his aunt's neck, describing the act as a “one-hand hug,” according to Macomb Daily.
Evidence presented at trial included that admission to Jackson along with what prosecutors described as lies Shazier told police. Jurors also heard that Monique Shazier had banned her nephew from spending the night at her apartment because he had been disrespectful to her, and that Shazier had blocked her on his phone. Despite that friction, Monique texted her nephew that she loved him the night before her death.
The Flight, the Flannel and the Missing Bag
The prosecution also presented evidence about Shazier's movements after the killing. Trial testimony, as reported by the Macomb Daily, indicated that he left the apartment, traveled south by bus and later returned to the area with a white bag that was never recovered. A green flannel shirt was found in a Detroit trash bin, and surveillance video reportedly showed him later buying a blue tracksuit.
Defense attorney Peter Durance argued that the prosecution had not established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and challenged the relevance of much of the circumstantial evidence. He also pointed to a longtime male friend of Monique Shazier as an alternative suspect. The friend testified about exchanging text messages with Monique after contacting her around 1 a.m.; he said they had not spoken in four months before that exchange, according to trial testimony reported by the Macomb Daily.
Case history
The case had been pending since a July 2025 preliminary examination, when Judge Jacob Femminineo Jr. found enough evidence to send Shazier to trial on the second-degree murder charge, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office. The office said the evidence was substantially circumstantial and that Shazier was held on a $5 million bond. Michigan's second-degree murder statute provides for life imprisonment or any number of years.
Sentencing and victim services
According to the Michigan Judicial Institute's Sentencing Guidelines Manual, second-degree murder is classified as crime class M2, and the statutory maximum sets the upper limit of punishment. The material cited here establishes that framework but does not determine the sentence or a parole outcome in this case. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office says its victim-rights services include assigned victim advocates, assistance with restitution, hearing notices and other support for victims and their families.
Shazier is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 5 and faces a punishment ranging from a term of years up to life in prison, per a report from Macomb Daily. The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has noted, in relation to the case's earlier stages, that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law — a presumption that stood until Thursday's verdict brought the trial to a close.
