Murder suspect faces trial in killing of Michigan transgender woman; brother charged with tampering

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – A Wayne County judge ruled Thursday that there was sufficient evidence for the defendant Killing of a transgender woman in June 2023 at the Woodward Inn in Highland Park to stand trial.

On Tuesday, testimony ended abruptly after defendant Carlos Scotland fell asleep in the courtroom.

Although he seemed disinterested, he didn't make a fuss on Thursday, but now his brother is in trouble for trying to influence the case.

Previously, 26-year-old Joshua Martin was charged with three counts of obstruction of justice and three counts of “incitement or inducement to commit perjury.”

Martin, who is already serving a prison sentence in the Michigan Department of Corrections, is said to have tried to get witnesses to give false statements to police in order to provide his brother with an alibi.

However, this did not affect Scotland's probable cause hearing. At that hearing, Presiding Judge Brigette Officer Holley found sufficient evidence to charge Scotland with first-degree murder, use of a firearm during the crime and carrying a concealed weapon.

He will not have to stand trial on charges of resisting an officer.

During this preliminary examination, Judge Holley heard only two witnesses; one of them was MSP Detective Sergeant James Plummer, who led the investigation.

Plummer explained that Scotland will return to the EU on 1 June 2023. Ashia Davis at the Woodward Inn and paid for oral sex.

Forensic evidence revealed that Scotland used several phone numbers to contact her, which he later deleted – an attempt to cover his tracks.

Prosecutors argue that this, along with other actions such as bringing a loaded gun and the manner in which he shot the victim, indicate that the crime was premeditated.

“He literally shot her in the back of the head at point blank range, execution style. That brings us back to the question of premeditation and deliberation. When he was communicating with the victim before he went there, Your Honor, he armed himself with a weapon. He armed himself with a weapon and had to make sure it was reloaded, all of which led to the question of premeditation and deliberation that arose when he went to Ms. Davis,” Special Prosecutor Kam Towns of the Wayne County District Attorney's Office and the Fair Michigan Justice Project told the court.

The statement was heartbreaking for Davis' family and friends.

“It's so horrible to hear what he did to her – the reason he did it and why he did it – it hurts so much and I just can't take it. But I have to do it for her and I'm going to make sure I keep coming back,” Madisyn Dwson, one of Davis' close friends, said after the hearing.

Scotland's next court hearing is scheduled for next Thursday in Wayne County District Court, but it could be delayed as the court prepares to move to its new criminal justice center.