TRENTON – A witness’s testimony, criminal history and connection to the police were all called into question Thursday after the witness claimed he saw Zaire “Cory” Jackson shoot Irvin “Swirv” Jackson to death in a Trenton alley five years ago.
The witness – whose name NJ Advance Media is withholding at the request of prosecutors – testified during the second day of Zaire Jackson’s trial Thursday.
Jackson, 22, is accused of chasing and then gunning down Irvin Jackson in Moses Alley in 2012. The two men were not related.
During opening statements in the trial Wednesday, prosecutors said the incident started with a fight between Zaire Jackson and another man – not Irvin Jackson – at a cookout the day before the killing. After the fight, someone fired shots at Zaire Jackson’s house in a shooting that is still unsolved, officials said.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Zaire Jackson believed the fight and the shots were connected and that he placed the blame for both on Irvin Jackson.
The testimony of a witness, who called Irvin Jackson a good friend, shed a little more light on the accusations against Zaire Jackson Thursday.
The witness said he was standing near Moses Alley the day his friend was shot to death. He testified that he watched Zaire Jackson chase after Irvin Jackson, shoot him and then run from the scene.
‘Street code’ dispute led to fatal shooting
The day after the shooting, the witness called the prosecutor’s office to point the finger at Jackson. He also made a statement to authorities at the time, saying that Zaire Jackson had threatened and accused Irvin Jackson of shooting up his house.
However, he did not say at the time that he saw Zaire Jackson shoot Irvin Jackson.
When attorneys questioned the witness about that change in his story, the witness said he hadn’t initially divulged that he’d seen the shooting because he was scared for his and his family’s safety.
But defense attorney Steve Lember accused the witness Thursday of not being able to keep the details of the story straight.
“The truth is you never saw my client shoot Swirv that day at all, did you?” Lember asked, referring to Irvin Jackson by his nickname.
Lember also pulled apart the witness’s history, referring to the witness as a “snitch,” and saying he frequently worked with prosecutors in order to get deals for his own criminal cases, of which he has had several in the past ten years.
The witness said he wasn’t receiving anything from testifying against Zaire Jackson except justice for his friend.
The testimony made for a contentious day in court Thursday, with Lember and Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Mennuti frequently challenging the other’s line of questioning and engaging in several recesses and sidebars with the judge throughout the day.
The trial is expected to resume Friday morning with an officer and medical examiner being called to the stand.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman
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