FLINT, MI – A mother and son accused in the March homicide of 20-year-old Alicia Jackson-Skaggs have been bound over to Genesee County Circuit Court for trial on more than 40 combined felony counts, including first-degree premeditated murder.
Deondre McLilly and his mother, Windy Weatherford, each appeared before District Court Judge Tabitha M. Marsh Monday, June 27, for the second part of a preliminary examination hearing that began June 3.
At the culmination of the hearing, Marsh bound both defendants over to circuit court for trial, ruling that prosecutors in the case presented enough evidence to show probable cause that a crime was committed and that McLilly and Weatherford were the individuals who committed the crimes.
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McLilly is charged with single counts of first-degree murder, discharging a weapon from a vehicle, assaulting, resisting, or obstructing police causing injury, five counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, two counts of aggravated stalking, two counts of domestic violence and 11 counts of felony firearm.
Weatherford faces a single count of first-degree murder, discharging a weapon from a vehicle, five counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon and nine counts of felony firearm.
According to testimony provided primarily during the first day of the preliminary examination, Jackson-Skaggs was believed to be the victim of a pattern of ongoing stalking and domestic violent behavior by McLilly.
After spending the night at McLilly’s apartment, Jackson-Skaggs – who had a personal protection order against the defendant – apparently was in possession of a key to his apartment. The two texted and called each other throughout the day to set up a time and place in which Jackson-Skaggs would return the key.
Weatherford drove McLilly around until they spotted a vehicle driven by Jackson-Skaggs’ boyfriend, Louis Brown, and occupied by Jackson-Skaggs and Brown’s friend, Caleb Stemple.
Weatherford pulled the vehicle behind the victims’ vehicle at a Culver’s restaurant drive-thru on Miller Road in Flint Township. Previous testimony indicated that upon recognizing the vehicle, Brown pulled off to leave the restaurant. As it turned out onto the road, McLilly allegedly fired two shots at it.
From there, a chase ensued until the victims believed they had lost McLilly and Weatherford. They pulled into the parking lot for the Golden Corral restaurant on Miller Road and saw Weatherford and McLilly pull into the parking lot behind them.
McLilly allegedly got out of the vehicle and pointed a gun at the victims’ vehicle, which accelerated toward him. He opened fire and the vehicle crashed into the restaurant’s sign.
Stemple got out of the vehicle and returned fire at Weatherford’s vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Jackson-Skaggs had been shot in the head during the shootout and died two days later.
Weatherford’s vehicle was stopped by Michigan State Police troopers at Bristol Road and I-75 shortly after the shooting. Weatherford was arrested at that scene.
McLilly got out of the vehicle and tried to run away before being arrested in what prosecutors called “an aggressive resistance” near Torrey and Bristol roads.
Two handguns were found inside the vehicle.
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Flint Township Det. Alexander Minto was the last witness called by the prosecution Monday.
He testified about interviewing McLilly, who he said admitted to shooting at the victims’ vehicle outside of the Culver’s restaurant and then, again, at the Golden Corral parking lot after it accelerated toward him. However, McLilly said he only intended to shoot the tires off the vehicle to get it to stop, Minto testified.
Genesee County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Alena Clark argued that the two defendants should be bound over on all charges
“The law does not give us any amount of time that’s required for premeditation – it could literally be seconds,” she said. “And in this case, there was discussion and testimony that (McLilly) himself had admitted that he got into that vehicle with firearms. Those were words that came out of his mouth. Additionally, he indicated that he fired those firearms, and there’s surveillance footage as well as testimony from the victims that are still alive that that is in fact what occurred.”
With Weatherford, who according to testimony and evidence provided during the examination did not fire a gun in any of the incidents, Clark argued she should be bound over under the aiding and abetting theory.
“This person who made the decision to carry out and carry with them a person who had firearms, and chase this person into another location to the point where one of the victims ultimately died,” she said.
Read more: Mother, son charged with murder of 20-year-old Burton woman in Flint Township shooting case
Jessica Mainprize-Hajek, McLilly’s attorney, indicated during the examination that she intends to use a self defense argument at trial. Weatherford’s attorney, Jodi Hemmingway, argued that her client should have been bound over on a lesser murder charge, if at all.
“What indication we have on this record, that there’s even probable cause to believe that Windy Weatherford had this specific intent for these people to die?” Hemingway said in court. “She thinks she’s taking her son to get a key back. That’s what she told the police.”
Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Celeste D. Bell will handle the case in circuit court.
Now that the case is headed to circuit court, the defendants can either plead guilty as charged, proceed to trial, or accept any number of potential plea agreements offered to them by prosecutors.
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