A Canton Township man charged with first-degree murder in the 2024 fatal shooting of a neighbor has a jury trial scheduled to begin Feb. 1, 2027.
Devereaux Johnson is accused of killing Nathan Morris, 35, on Aug. 10, 2024, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office weekly case update dated Oct. 23. Johnson also faces a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a firearm during a felony.
The trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. before Judge Charise Anderson in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Morris, a father of two, was killed in the 200 block of Cornell Street, Hometown Life reported. The publication reported that Johnson testified at his preliminary examination that he acted in self-defense. It also cited WXYZ reporting that a police officer testified Morris was unarmed.
The case has been delayed by competency questions and changes in defense attorneys. Hometown Life reported in May that Johnson had been represented by at least five lawyers.
An Aug. 5 Detroit News report said Johnson had been found competent to stand trial.
“The issue of competency is a continuing issue,” Anderson said at the May hearing, according to Hometown Life. The judge said Johnson’s right to a speedy trial had not been violated.
