Star-Crossed Cousins: A Tragic Tale of Forbidden Love and Murder - The Zion Foster Case

0:00 Welcome to No Tears for Black Girls, a true crime series created, written and produced by award-winning writer Jon Reedberg and hosted by Samantha Paul. Zion Foster, just 17 years old, sent her final message before vanishing into the night. She assured her mother and boyfriend that she was heading home after spending the evening with her beloved cousin, a regular occurrence. But when her frantic mother turned to him for aid and locating her daughter the next day, she received unexpected news. The cousin claimed he hadn't seen her spoken to Zion in years. The case we're delving into today is that of a missing person turned murder. It's a tale of family and the unsettling realization of who you can truly trust.

0:47 Sierra Milton, mother of six, woke up on January 5th, 2022 to find her eldest daughter, Zion Foster, hadn't returned home the night before. Zion, a senior at East Detroit High School and recently turned 17, had been known to push boundaries in the past. Her rebellious nature caused her to run away from home twice in the previous year, even seeking refuge at her grandmother's during a particularly tough time with her own health battles. But this time felt different. After finishing her shift at work and getting permission from her mother to go out with her cousin, Jalen Zion never made it back home. Her boyfriend Vertez attempted to reach her throughout the night, only receiving a brief message at 12:59 AM saying she was on my way, but she never arrived, and he soon began to worry as all attempts to contact her went unanswered. With each passing hour, concern turned to fear as he begged the question, Is she still alive?

1:56 Kiara was reeling from the news of Zion's disappearance. She had reached out to her cousin Jalen, hoping for some comfort or information, but received no help. In fact, Jalen seemed more concerned with his own reputation and avoiding any involvement in the situation than finding his missing cousin. He even suggested that Zion may be using him as a cover story for her whereabouts. This sparked further frustration from Vertez, who bombarded Jalen with messages and screenshots in an attempt to get answers. But despite their efforts, the police showed little interest in helping find Zion. They dismissed her as just another runaway without taking into consideration any potential danger she may be in. Frustrated with the lack of support from law enforcement, Kiara took matters into her own hands and launched a search effort with the help of family and friends. They spread Flyers, held rallies, and pleaded with the public for any information on Zion's whereabouts. We need your eyes, they told the community. And while the police may not have been willing to assist, Ciara was determined to do whatever it takes to find her daughter.

3:13 Officers were eventually dispatched to speak with Jalen Brazier. Jalen, who professed to be Zion's favorite cousin, was actually her first cousin through her stepfather. That is, he was related to Ciara's ex-husband. At the young age of 23, he was already a father to two small children and had been in a long term relationship with Katrina Smith. Sierra believed that Zion and Jalen had always been close, but According to him, they hadn't spoken in years. When officers found him at home with girlfriend Katrina, he invited them inside and offered to show them footage from his Ring camera. However, when Sierra saw gaps in the footage from the night of January 4th, she suspected that it had been deleted. There was no evidence that Zion had been present at Jalen's house.

4:07 Despite his claims, he expressed frustration at being pulled into the drama surrounding his 17 year old cousin, whom he rarely spent time with. But Sierra Milton knew better than to believe his lies. To verify Zion's location on the night of January 4th, as indicated by her phone data, authorities checked the neighbors doorbell cameras. They captured a white sedan pulling into Jalen's driveway around 11:15 PM, with two individuals entering the house, 1 male and one female. Jalen had driven Katrina to work for her midnight shift at a manufacturing job before returning home. The second person seen entering the house at 11:15 could not have been Katrina.

4:53 Further investigations revealed that Jalen had volunteered to pick up Zion from her home and bring her back to his place on the night she disappeared. He then put his two young children to bed while he allegedly spent time with Zion. However, upon bringing in cadaver dogs, authorities discovered evidence indicating that something had happened to Zion in the trunk of Jalen's car. On January 19th, Jalen voluntarily spoke with detectives and admitted to lying about being with Zion on the night she went missing. He provided a new version of events that he had picked her up and brought her back to his house before putting his children to bed. The investigation continued, but no clear evidence was found until the cadaver dogs indicated something in the trunk of Jalen's car. Jalen recounted a tale of marijuana and death, with Zion fading away on his couch as he poured himself a drink. Fearful of being accused of her murder, Jalen hid Zion's body in the nearby dumpsters, only to do a factory reset on his phone two days later.

5:59 As detectives attempted to piece together the truth, inconsistencies arose in Jalen's story. He changed his version once again during a follow up interview, this time claiming they had taken acid that night, but without concrete evidence or a confession, Jalen was only charged with lying to the police. Months later, in a recorded conversation, he backtracked again, admitting that the drugs were not involved and Zion was no longer alive. The search for Zion's body continued in local landfills. The daunting task of sifting through heaps of refuse from various parts of Detroit, gathered over the span of several weeks, was taken on by a number of volunteers. They donned masks and hazmat suits, aided by heavy machinery as they combed through layer after layer of the landfill in a methodical manner, hoping to find any sign of Zion. Meanwhile, Jalen Brazier faced up to four years behind bars for his deceitful statements to law enforcement. With assistance from the FBI, the Detroit Police Department continued their search for evidence to obtain a warrant for murder.

7:12 During his sentencing, Jalen pleaded his innocence to the judge despite his efforts to keep his conversations private by using other inmates, calling codes and possessing an illicit cell phone. Jalen's calls to his girlfriend Katrina and family members were closely monitored while he served 23 months in prison. In these conversations, Jalen frequently asked if there had been any major developments in the search. This seems suspicious if his story was true and Zion had died suddenly from a non violent 'cause he should want her found. Yet, he consistently expressed relief that nothing significant had been uncovered during the massive landfill search. He even referred to it as a hunt for COVID. Towards the end, After just over nine months in prison, Jalen was released early thanks to a special program designed to help certain inmates better themselves. However, after nearly a year since Zion's disappearance and no body or murder indictment found, the prime suspect was back at home with his family.

8:19 Upon his arrest for Zion's murder, two additional cell phones were seized. Despite attempting a factory reset on his device, investigators were able to retrieve some activity on January 7th, just three days after dumping Zion's body in a dumpster. Jalen performed Google searches such as our garbage trucks, also compactors and how do police get your phone history indicating possible forethought and consciousness of guilt. As evidence mounted against Jalen, investigators delved deeper into his online activity. They discovered a disturbing trend of searches for violent and pornographic material involving cousin and step cousin themes.

9:02 The results were graphic and unsettling. At the preliminary hearing, new information was presented that shed light on Jalen's possible motive. Cortez Gonzalez testified that he believes Zion had a medical condition and was taking medication for seizures. However, Sierra Milton, who has a child with epilepsy, refuted this claim, with medical records showing that Zion had never suffered from seizures. Despite this new information, Jalen's defense team tried to paint a different picture, one where Zion's supposed epilepsy played a role in her sudden death. In Jalen's living room, evidence from Zion's phone showed thousands of inappropriate and explicit messages from Jalen, suggesting he had been grooming her for years. He even offered to hide her in his basement if she ran away from home again.

9:52 In these messages, Jalen boasted about his ability to attract women and claim to be a God. Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Elsie described these texts as pervasive and manipulative, building up to the terrible events that unfolded on January 4th when Jalen acted upon his twisted fantasies. It was also revealed that on the same day he brought Zion to his house, he found out that his girlfriend Katrina was pregnant with their third child. Messages between the couple showed how he had lied about his whereabouts after dropping Katrina off at work. This was the ultimate betrayal that led to tragic consequences for young Zion.

10:34 The day had started with her illness, leading to an emergency room visit. Later on, the symptoms returned and she pleaded for him to pick her up from work. He reassured her that she could tough it out. It wasn't until nearly 3:00 AM that he finally arrived to get her, sporting a deep scratch on his collarbone from their cat. A curious piece of information in Katrina's mind. The trial was held in May of 2024 and lasted 2 weeks. Jalen opted not to testify while the state presented 32 witnesses and the defense called none. Despite a mostly circumstantial case, the evidence was compelling. According to forensic analysis, the only medical condition Zion suffered from that could have caused her death was asthma.

11:21 However, this did not align with her cousin's account of her passing. Instead of quietly fading away like Vertez claimed, she would have been gasping for air. Obvious struggling Judge Donald Knapp noted Jalen's lack of remorse and responsibility for his crime, as well as his manipulation and lies throughout the investigation. As a result, he sentenced Jalen Brazier to 30 to 90 years for murder and an additional 5 to 10 years for tampering with evidence. Despite intensive searches, Zion's body has never been found and remains missing to this day. Meanwhile, Jalen is currently awaiting placement in a general population prison after being held at an intake facility in Wayne County, Michigan. Thank you for tuning in to No Tears for Black Girls. This series is skillfully crafted by acclaimed writer and producer Jon Reedberg with the guidance of unapologetic host Samantha Paul.

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