Jury determines Ecorse mom is not guilty of killing toddler, abusing his twin

An Ecorse woman was acquitted Thursday of the murder of her toddler son and the severe beating of his surviving twin after a three-week trial in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Prosecutors had charged the woman, Lisa Reed, 38, with second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse after police said they found 13-month-old Zyaire dead and his twin brother injured when they responded to an emergency call in July 2020. Jurors determined she was not guilty.

Reed was "duped" by her boyfriend, James Gibson, 38, also of Ecorse, Reed's defense attorney Wendy Barnwell said.

Barnwell said Gibson admitted to killing Zyaire and abusing the other child when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse in Wayne County Circuit Court, Reed's defense attorney Barnwell said. Gibson, who is not the twins' father, was sentenced in January 2023 to 33 to 66 years in prison.

"He let her see what he wanted her to see," Barnwell said. "You can fool somebody, you can be kind to them and be a different person behind their back."

Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller said prosecutors charged Reed's case based on the facts and evidence.

"Jurors determined that they had a reasonable doubt about the guilt of the mother in this case and acquitted," Miller said.

Gibson was "Mr. Mom," when he got out of prison for two separate car theft and carjacking cases, Barnwell said. She said he cooked, cleaned and was kind and affectionate. Reed was not aware Gibson was hurting her children, Barnwell said.

"She started to see what was happening when she was in the courtroom being charged," Barnwell said.

The night Zyaire was found dead, Gibson woke Reed to tell her Zyaire wasn't breathing, Barnwell said.

Police testified during the preliminary exam that they arrived at the couple's Ecorse apartment in the 3900 block of 7th Street on July 28, 2020 to find Gibson giving CPR to Zyaire, who was not breathing and had numerous injuries to his face, including a split lip, forehead abrasions and injuries to his mouth. Reed was hysterical as Zyaire was pronounced dead, police said.

Police found Zyaire's twin "bruised up" in his crib. Ecorse officer Chad Hassen testified during the preliminary exam that the twin had bruises and his left eye was purplish. Hassen said he saw dried blood in the room where the cribs were.

Prosecutors successfully appealed Judge Wanda Evans' denial to allow an aiding and abetting jury instruction on the tenth day of the trial, Barnwell said. The Court of Appeals declined to allow prosecutors to put the case on hold so they could appeal the issue, but Judges Christopher Murray and Colleen O'Brien ordered Evans to reverse her ruling and provide the jury with an aiding and abetting jury instruction, which explains that anyone who intentionally assisted another person in committing a crime can be found guilty and convicted of the same crime as an aider and abettor.

That instruction did not hold weight with the jury, which found that prosecutors did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Reed was involved in Zyaire's death or the abuse of his twin brother.

"My client did not kill her kid, she didn't do anything to her kid. But she was stupid," Barnwell said. "I don't think anybody was happy with her stupidity. ... She loved her kids, but she was the biggest fool."

Zyaire's twin is "thriving," Barnwell said, and is living down South with family. Reed still faces a case in family court, where the state is seeking to terminate her parental rights to Zyaire's twin.

kberg@detroitnews.com