Man gets 43 years in prison for death of Detroit-area teenager whose body was lost in landfill

DETROIT — A Detroit man convicted of killing a teenager whose body is believed to be lost forever in a landfill was sentenced Monday to at least 43 years in prison.

Zion Foster's remains were never found during an extraordinary search amid tons of trash in 2022. Prosecutors built a circumstantial case against his cousin, Jaylin Brazier, who admitted to putting the body in a dumpster trash but denied playing any role in his death.

“Brazier's cold indifference and self-centered conduct that led to Zion Foster's death to date have made it clear that he is unlikely to be rehabilitated,” the Wayne County judge said. , Donald Knapp.

Brazier, 25, was convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He will be eligible for parole after serving 43 years in prison.

“Of course I caused all of this. I take responsibility for it,” Brazier told the judge, although he denied hurting Foster.

Foster, who lived in Eastpointe, was a 17-year-old high school student in 2022 when she disappeared. Brazier said he hadn't seen her in months, but later admitted he picked her up at night and took her to his house while his girlfriend was at work.

Brazier told police that Foster died suddenly while they were smoking marijuana. Instead of calling 911, he said, he panicked and drove the body to a dumpster after midnight. The contents of the trash bin were eventually taken to a suburban landfill.

Experts said death from marijuana use was unlikely. Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Elsey told jurors that Foster likely died resisting Brazier's sexual advances.

During a five-month search, police wearing hazmat suits in 90-degree heat searched for any trace of Foster's remains in a landfill, sometimes in trash as deep as 50 feet (15.2 meters). This was not successful.

Separately, Brazier pleaded no contest to lying to police and served a brief prison sentence in 2022 while authorities attempted to find the body.