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

1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,600
Welcome to No Tears for Black
Girls, a true crime series

2
00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:07,040
created, written and produced by
award-winning writer Jon

3
00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,480
Reedberg and hosted by Samantha
Paul.

4
00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:15,920
Zion Foster, just 17 years old,
sent her final message before

5
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,280
vanishing into the night.
She assured her mother and

6
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,240
boyfriend that she was heading
home after spending the evening

7
00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:24,920
with her beloved cousin, a
regular occurrence.

8
00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:27,960
But when her frantic mother
turned to him for aid and

9
00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:31,200
locating her daughter the next
day, she received unexpected

10
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,400
news.
The cousin claimed he hadn't

11
00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,400
seen her spoken to Zion in
years.

12
00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,440
The case we're delving into
today is that of a missing

13
00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,080
person turned murder.
It's a tale of family and the

14
00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,160
unsettling realization of who
you can truly trust.

15
00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:53,480
Sierra Milton, mother of six,
woke up on January 5th, 2022 to

16
00:00:53,480 --> 00:00:57,360
find her eldest daughter, Zion
Foster, hadn't returned home the

17
00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:01,840
night before.
Zion, a senior at East Detroit

18
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,880
High School and recently turned
17, had been known to push

19
00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:09,840
boundaries in the past.
Her rebellious nature caused her

20
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,720
to run away from home twice in
the previous year, even seeking

21
00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,680
refuge at her grandmother's
during a particularly tough time

22
00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,120
with her own health battles.
But this time felt different.

23
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,360
After finishing her shift at
work and getting permission from

24
00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,160
her mother to go out with her
cousin, Jalen Zion never made it

25
00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,680
back home.
Her boyfriend Vertez attempted

26
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,720
to reach her throughout the
night, only receiving a brief

27
00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:42,160
message at 12:59 AM saying she
was on my way, but she never

28
00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,320
arrived, and he soon began to
worry as all attempts to contact

29
00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:50,640
her went unanswered.
With each passing hour, concern

30
00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,400
turned to fear as he begged the
question, Is she still alive?

31
00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,840
Kiara was reeling from the news
of Zion's disappearance.

32
00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,640
She had reached out to her
cousin Jalen, hoping for some

33
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,920
comfort or information, but
received no help.

34
00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:10,840
In fact, Jalen seemed more
concerned with his own

35
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,640
reputation and avoiding any
involvement in the situation

36
00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,680
than finding his missing cousin.
He even suggested that Zion may

37
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,440
be using him as a cover story
for her whereabouts.

38
00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:27,880
This sparked further frustration
from Vertez, who bombarded Jalen

39
00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,960
with messages and screenshots in
an attempt to get answers.

40
00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,160
But despite their efforts, the
police showed little interest in

41
00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,760
helping find Zion.
They dismissed her as just

42
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:42,760
another runaway without taking
into consideration any potential

43
00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,600
danger she may be in.
Frustrated with the lack of

44
00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,360
support from law enforcement,
Kiara took matters into her own

45
00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:53,760
hands and launched a search
effort with the help of family

46
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:57,120
and friends.
They spread Flyers, held

47
00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,520
rallies, and pleaded with the
public for any information on

48
00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,320
Zion's whereabouts.
We need your eyes, they told the

49
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,080
community.
And while the police may not

50
00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,200
have been willing to assist,
Ciara was determined to do

51
00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,120
whatever it takes to find her
daughter.

52
00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,320
Officers were eventually
dispatched to speak with Jalen

53
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,280
Brazier.
Jalen, who professed to be

54
00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,640
Zion's favorite cousin, was
actually her first cousin

55
00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,440
through her stepfather.
That is, he was related to

56
00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,960
Ciara's ex-husband.
At the young age of 23, he was

57
00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,400
already a father to two small
children and had been in a long

58
00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,440
term relationship with Katrina
Smith.

59
00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,880
Sierra believed that Zion and
Jalen had always been close, but

60
00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,800
According to him, they hadn't
spoken in years.

61
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,040
When officers found him at home
with girlfriend Katrina, he

62
00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:52,640
invited them inside and offered
to show them footage from his

63
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:57,640
Ring camera.
However, when Sierra saw gaps in

64
00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,840
the footage from the night of
January 4th, she suspected that

65
00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:05,680
it had been deleted.
There was no evidence that Zion

66
00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,480
had been present at Jalen's
house.

67
00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:11,640
Despite his claims, he expressed
frustration at being pulled into

68
00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,440
the drama surrounding his 17
year old cousin, whom he rarely

69
00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,720
spent time with.
But Sierra Milton knew better

70
00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:23,880
than to believe his lies.
To verify Zion's location on the

71
00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,800
night of January 4th, as
indicated by her phone data,

72
00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:29,720
authorities checked the
neighbors doorbell cameras.

73
00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,640
They captured a white sedan
pulling into Jalen's driveway

74
00:04:33,840 --> 00:04:38,160
around 11:15 PM, with two
individuals entering the house,

75
00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:43,000
1 male and one female.
Jalen had driven Katrina to work

76
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,720
for her midnight shift at a
manufacturing job before

77
00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,200
returning home.
The second person seen entering

78
00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,440
the house at 11:15 could not
have been Katrina.

79
00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,960
Further investigations revealed
that Jalen had volunteered to

80
00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,480
pick up Zion from her home and
bring her back to his place on

81
00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,920
the night she disappeared.
He then put his two young

82
00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,080
children to bed while he
allegedly spent time with Zion.

83
00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,400
However, upon bringing in
cadaver dogs, authorities

84
00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,040
discovered evidence indicating
that something had happened to

85
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,120
Zion in the trunk of Jalen's
car.

86
00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,680
On January 19th, Jalen
voluntarily spoke with

87
00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,040
detectives and admitted to lying
about being with Zion on the

88
00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,160
night she went missing.
He provided a new version of

89
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,240
events that he had picked her up
and brought her back to his

90
00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,200
house before putting his
children to bed.

91
00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,640
The investigation continued, but
no clear evidence was found

92
00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,840
until the cadaver dogs indicated
something in the trunk of

93
00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:43,760
Jalen's car.
Jalen recounted a tale of

94
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,800
marijuana and death, with Zion
fading away on his couch as he

95
00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,400
poured himself a drink.
Fearful of being accused of her

96
00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,680
murder, Jalen hid Zion's body in
the nearby dumpsters, only to do

97
00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,920
a factory reset on his phone two
days later.

98
00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,200
As detectives attempted to piece
together the truth,

99
00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,360
inconsistencies arose in Jalen's
story.

100
00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,640
He changed his version once
again during a follow up

101
00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,040
interview, this time claiming
they had taken acid that night,

102
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:16,280
but without concrete evidence or
a confession, Jalen was only

103
00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:18,040
charged with lying to the
police.

104
00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,440
Months later, in a recorded
conversation, he backtracked

105
00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,600
again, admitting that the drugs
were not involved and Zion was

106
00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,720
no longer alive.
The search for Zion's body

107
00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:34,600
continued in local landfills.
The daunting task of sifting

108
00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,520
through heaps of refuse from
various parts of Detroit,

109
00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:41,280
gathered over the span of
several weeks, was taken on by a

110
00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:45,200
number of volunteers.
They donned masks and hazmat

111
00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,280
suits, aided by heavy machinery
as they combed through layer

112
00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:53,120
after layer of the landfill in a
methodical manner, hoping to

113
00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:58,800
find any sign of Zion.
Meanwhile, Jalen Brazier faced

114
00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,320
up to four years behind bars for
his deceitful statements to law

115
00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:06,400
enforcement.
With assistance from the FBI,

116
00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:09,320
the Detroit Police Department
continued their search for

117
00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,480
evidence to obtain a warrant for
murder.

118
00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,680
During his sentencing, Jalen
pleaded his innocence to the

119
00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:20,120
judge despite his efforts to
keep his conversations private

120
00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,800
by using other inmates, calling
codes and possessing an illicit

121
00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:26,680
cell phone.
Jalen's calls to his girlfriend

122
00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,920
Katrina and family members were
closely monitored while he

123
00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:34,760
served 23 months in prison.
In these conversations, Jalen

124
00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,640
frequently asked if there had
been any major developments in

125
00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,080
the search.
This seems suspicious if his

126
00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:44,640
story was true and Zion had died
suddenly from a non violent

127
00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:49,200
'cause he should want her found.
Yet, he consistently expressed

128
00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,600
relief that nothing significant
had been uncovered during the

129
00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,720
massive landfill search.
He even referred to it as a hunt

130
00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,960
for COVID.
Towards the end, After just over

131
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:04,840
nine months in prison, Jalen was
released early thanks to a

132
00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:07,720
special program designed to help
certain inmates better

133
00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,200
themselves.
However, after nearly a year

134
00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,760
since Zion's disappearance and
no body or murder indictment

135
00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,280
found, the prime suspect was
back at home with his family.

136
00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,920
Upon his arrest for Zion's
murder, two additional cell

137
00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:26,320
phones were seized.
Despite attempting a factory

138
00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,400
reset on his device,
investigators were able to

139
00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:34,000
retrieve some activity on
January 7th, just three days

140
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,280
after dumping Zion's body in a
dumpster.

141
00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:40,640
Jalen performed Google searches
such as our garbage trucks, also

142
00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:45,160
compactors and how do police get
your phone history indicating

143
00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,480
possible forethought and
consciousness of guilt.

144
00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,680
As evidence mounted against
Jalen, investigators delved

145
00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:55,960
deeper into his online activity.
They discovered a disturbing

146
00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,160
trend of searches for violent
and pornographic material

147
00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,920
involving cousin and step cousin
themes.

148
00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,640
The results were graphic and
unsettling.

149
00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,920
At the preliminary hearing, new
information was presented that

150
00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,240
shed light on Jalen's possible
motive.

151
00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,480
Cortez Gonzalez testified that
he believes Zion had a medical

152
00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,400
condition and was taking
medication for seizures.

153
00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,680
However, Sierra Milton, who has
a child with epilepsy, refuted

154
00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:25,880
this claim, with medical records
showing that Zion had never

155
00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,520
suffered from seizures.
Despite this new information,

156
00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,160
Jalen's defense team tried to
paint a different picture, one

157
00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,360
where Zion's supposed epilepsy
played a role in her sudden

158
00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,280
death.
In Jalen's living room, evidence

159
00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,440
from Zion's phone showed
thousands of inappropriate and

160
00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,920
explicit messages from Jalen,
suggesting he had been grooming

161
00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,640
her for years.
He even offered to hide her in

162
00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,000
his basement if she ran away
from home again.

163
00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,840
In these messages, Jalen boasted
about his ability to attract

164
00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,280
women and claim to be a God.
Wayne County Assistant

165
00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,720
Prosecutor Ryan Elsie described
these texts as pervasive and

166
00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,720
manipulative, building up to the
terrible events that unfolded on

167
00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:13,040
January 4th when Jalen acted
upon his twisted fantasies.

168
00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:16,680
It was also revealed that on the
same day he brought Zion to his

169
00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:19,920
house, he found out that his
girlfriend Katrina was pregnant

170
00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,960
with their third child.
Messages between the couple

171
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,920
showed how he had lied about his
whereabouts after dropping

172
00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,680
Katrina off at work.
This was the ultimate betrayal

173
00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:33,400
that led to tragic consequences
for young Zion.

174
00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,680
The day had started with her
illness, leading to an emergency

175
00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:40,720
room visit.
Later on, the symptoms returned

176
00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,960
and she pleaded for him to pick
her up from work.

177
00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,640
He reassured her that she could
tough it out.

178
00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,000
It wasn't until nearly 3:00 AM
that he finally arrived to get

179
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,400
her, sporting a deep scratch on
his collarbone from their cat.

180
00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,680
A curious piece of information
in Katrina's mind.

181
00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,720
The trial was held in May of
2024 and lasted 2 weeks.

182
00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:06,120
Jalen opted not to testify while
the state presented 32 witnesses

183
00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,520
and the defense called none.
Despite a mostly circumstantial

184
00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:12,680
case, the evidence was
compelling.

185
00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,240
According to forensic analysis,
the only medical condition Zion

186
00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,400
suffered from that could have
caused her death was asthma.

187
00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:23,960
However, this did not align with
her cousin's account of her

188
00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:26,880
passing.
Instead of quietly fading away

189
00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,400
like Vertez claimed, she would
have been gasping for air.

190
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:36,120
Obvious struggling Judge Donald
Knapp noted Jalen's lack of

191
00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,920
remorse and responsibility for
his crime, as well as his

192
00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,160
manipulation and lies throughout
the investigation.

193
00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,320
As a result, he sentenced Jalen
Brazier to 30 to 90 years for

194
00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:52,440
murder and an additional 5 to 10
years for tampering with

195
00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:56,040
evidence.
Despite intensive searches,

196
00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,280
Zion's body has never been found
and remains missing to this day.

197
00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,680
Meanwhile, Jalen is currently
awaiting placement in a general

198
00:12:04,680 --> 00:12:08,920
population prison after being
held at an intake facility in

199
00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:12,560
Wayne County, Michigan.
Thank you for tuning in to No

200
00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:15,560
Tears for Black Girls.
This series is skillfully

201
00:12:15,560 --> 00:12:19,360
crafted by acclaimed writer and
producer Jon Reedberg with the

202
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,320
guidance of unapologetic host
Samantha Paul.

203
00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,240
Catch new episodes every Tuesday
and Thursday on all major

204
00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,200
podcast platforms.
You can listen anywhere,

205
00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,560
anytime, and if you truly enjoy
our content, please leave a five

206
00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:37,640
star rating and positive review.
Remember to stay loved, stay

207
00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:39,320
blessed, and stay safe.