By ELIZABETH FERSZT
Contributing Writer
Testimony continued Monday, April 6 in the preliminary exam of three co-defendants accused of open murder in the shooting death of Anthony Owens Jr., age 44; and the assault with intent to murder of Kenneth Avant, 63; Randall Hurst, 44; and Michael Gant, 42. They were gunned down May 17, 2025, just after midnight on a porch at 103 Lincoln Ct., just south of Jackson city limits.
Emotional testimony was heard last week from several key witnesses for the prosecution, including Gracia Gant, Hurst, and Avant. It was at Gracia Gant’s house where the shooting occurred, leaving both Hurst, Avant and Michael Gant with multiple, near-fatal, gunshot wounds. Gracia Gant is also the girlfriend of Owens, whose mother, Wanda Beavers (a.k.a. Mama Tutu), was in the gallery.
Defendants Dion Flowers Jr., age 29; Montez White, age 27; and Tyrek Rice, age 26; appeared in person courtesy of JCSO Jail, and MDOC, respectively.
The main take-away is that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity — and that the shooting was an attempt at retaliation for the shooting of Emarion Flowers the day before, allegedly by 22-year-old Joseph O’Rourke, on Warwick Court in the City of Jackson.
Emarion Flowers was the younger brother of defendant Dion Flowers Jr.
The three shooters were allegedly reacting to a video that was posted on social media. It said, and had emojis, “Abracadabra! Poof!” —mocking Emarion Flowers’ death. The video appeared to be filmed on a porch which was mistaken as Gant’s.
The video was allegedly made by an online author called Smooth, whose identity was not revealed. But Smooth was not on the porch at Lincoln Court when the shooting occurred. It was just an innocent gathering of friends and family.
White’s defense attorney, Adam Clements, pointed out there is a “significant age gap between Emarion Flowers (age 22),” and the gentlemen who were shot. Implying that his client had no motive, much less any social connection to the victims of the shooting.
12th District Court Judge Allison Bates called the preliminary exam to order at 1:30 p.m. Witness Kelley Ebersole, a JCSO detective, was called to testify by Chief Assistant Prosecutor, Nathan Hull. Witness Bernardino Pacris, M.D., medical examiner of Jackson County, was not available to testify; however, his formal autopsy report was entered into the case as evidence, without objection from any of the defense lawyers.
Ebersole stated that she has worked for Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years, including eight years as a detective. She identified Flowers, White, and Rice as being in the courtroom.
Ebersole then narrated her version of the events of May 17, 2025. At about 12:30 a.m. she received a text from her supervisor, Sgt. Huttenlocher, about the shooting; she was tasked with writing a search warrant. Ebersole went to the JCSO facility on Wesley Street and typed up the warrant for 103 Lincoln Ct. (inside and out) for her and her partner, Det. Mark Easter to serve. She also quickly contacted MSP crime lab to collect evidence because “they are the experts.”
Later, in cross-examination Flowers’ attorney, Alfred Brandt, asked her if she had drafted the warrant without seeing the scene of the crime and/or shooting. “Yes,” she responded; she drafted the warrant and affidavit from info gleaned from other officers’ phone calls. She did not go to the shooting site, although she had been to that address before. Brandt seemed to consider following the potential legal or 4th Amendment problems with her writing a warrant for a crime scene sight unseen, but he let it pass.
At some point in the 3.5 hours of her testimony, Ebersole said she also knew about the shooting earlier, on May 16, and that given the alleged mean-spirited and derogatory social media posts about the death of Emarion Flowers, visually referencing a porch, “someone could misinterpret that the folks on the porch (at Lincoln Ct.) were celebrating” (the death of Emarion Flowers).
Hull asked her if it was connected to her case; Ebersole responded, “Yes, many close associates of Emarion Flowers were looking for Joseph O’Rourke (that night).”
Hull agreed and said there is ample cellphone evidence to show the three defendants were working together: “They were out looking for blood, but they find the wrong people.”
The cellphone evidence was a key factor in the lengthy questioning of Ebersole, who explained how she had to get multiple search warrants to seize and the search the electronically stored information on the cell phones of the defendants. She was able to get warrants for the call detail record that a cell phone carrier can provide as to the location of a phone on certain days, times, dates. These showed that Dion Flowers was in the Toledo, Ohio area when his little brother Emarion Flowers was shot and killed in Jackson. According to the CDR, Flowers then left Ohio at about 3 p.m. on May 16, and “his phone (a 313 number) was traveling with his vehicle,” Ebersole said.
Additionally, Ebersole and her team got surveillance camera footage from Tates Party store on Francis Street immediately adjacent to Lincoln Court — it showed three people: “at about 12:10 a.m., a camera had picked up three individuals coming northbound (from Palmer Street) going into Lincoln court. The 911 call comes in at 12:12 a.m.,” Ebersole said.
There is also a “dark colored SUV seen on Tate’s video heading North on Francis Street,” said Ebersole. The vehicle was later picked up by a permanent FLOT camera positioned at MLK/Francis Street and South Street. It had footage of a black 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee, including its license plate number, registered to Dion Flowers Jr.
JPD conducted a traffic stop of Flowers’ vehicle later in May 2025. Rice, White, and Flowers were in the car; they all had cell phones which these were later confiscated and gleaned for location data.
Ebersole stated that White’s I-phone was identified as his based on social media posts, texts, selfies, calls, and the use of his nickname, Rico. “White’s phone is stationery and stops being used from about 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.” (May 16-May 17, 2025), said Ebersole.
Ebersole later contacted Lucas Co. Jail in Ohio in January, 2026 (where White and Rice were being held) and asked to review jail calls for both inmates. White allegedly says to Flowers (who is still on the run at this time) that “he is in this position based on bullshit.”
Bates bound over all three defendants on all charges, but before that, she allowed each attorney another round of defense.
Brandt stated on behalf of Flowers, “We’ll leave it to the court’s discretion.”
Carter (on behalf of Rice) is opposed to bind-over — “I don’t see any physical evidence that shows that Mr. Rice was involved in this case; no eye witnesses (of him); no reason to be in that area (of Jackson).”
Clements on behalf of White asks: “What would be his role? He does not have any motive. 95% of the voluminous discovery does not apply to him” — Clements asks for dismissal on all charges against his client.
Judge Bates also went over other details and evidence: “Cause of death: Gunshot wound to the abdomen — according to the autopsy of Anthony Owens by Dr. Pacris. There were also eyewitnesses — folks on the porch also shot that night.”
Bates also recounted the testimony March 31 of Gant, Avant, and Hurst; she stated that the fourth shooting victim, Gant, is “not doing so well in his rehabilitation and could not be present to testify.”
