SAGINAW, Mich. — Kiara S. Carpenter walked free this week after a jury found her not guilty of killing her friend, a mother of four.

The 34-year-old faced open murder charges since January 2024 in the death of 33-year-old Latavia N. “Tay-Tay” Braddock. Saginaw County Circuit Judge Julie A. Gafkay oversaw the trial, which started Feb. 10. Jurors deliberated for just a few hours on Feb. 13 before delivering the acquittal.

Local headlines piled up with other violent incidents. Sarai K. Doyle, 26, from Saginaw pleaded guilty Tuesday to third-degree murder in the 2023 torture death of fellow Saginaw resident Nicole M. “Nikki” Cuevas, 38. The killing took place in a Pennsylvania house prosecutors called a “house of horrors.” Doyle, who agreed to testify against her codefendants including her mother, entered the plea before Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr.

A man sharing a name with NBA star Shaquille O’Neal also heads to trial. Jury selection for Shaquille O’Neal Baskin’s first murder case began Wednesday before Saginaw County Circuit Judge Manvel Trice III. Prosecutors accuse him of open murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, and multiple firearm felonies in one shooting. A second trial awaits on charges he and his brother killed a Midland woman. “His reputation for dangerousness cannot be overstated,” prosecutors said.

Gunfire claimed another life on Saginaw’s East Side. Alonzo “Zo” Nickleberry Jr., 31, died Feb. 16 after shots struck his red SUV near East Genesee Avenue and Webber Street. The vehicle crashed into trees in the 2000 block of Fairfax Street. Police said unknown assailants opened fire around 9 a.m. Emergency crews pronounced him dead at the scene behind T&M Convenient Food Stores at 3615 Webber St.

Police arrested 73-year-old Roger E. Jackson on Feb. 13 after he allegedly smashed into a Perkins Street home with a sledgehammer around 11 p.m. on Feb. 10. The Michigan State Police Fugitive Team took him into custody. Jackson faces first-degree home invasion, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and felony firearm charges before Saginaw County District Judge M. Randall Jurrens. Three people were inside the 2300 block residence when he forced entry and fired at an occupant.

Not all news carried a dark edge. The Bread Gal bakery at 411 Hancock St. in Old Town Saginaw plans a new brunch spot called The Brunch Guy. Owner Jenell Thomas announced it Feb. 18 on Facebook. The menu will feature omelets, the “Big Hot Benny,” and the bakery’s goods with breakfasts and sandwiches. The original bakery stays open.

“For months we’ve heard you wish Saginaw had a nice brunch spot,” the post said. Thomas credited customer feedback for turning the idea into reality after years of talk.

Saginaw also mourned a civil rights figure with local roots. The Rev. Jesse Jackson died Feb. 17 at 84, more than 13 years after he visited following the police shooting of Milton Hall. John Pugh, Saginaw County chairman for Jackson’s 1988 presidential run, remembered him fondly. “He loved Saginaw,” Pugh told reporters. “I got to know him and his family.”