February trial date scheduled for man charged with murdering Pontiac man
A Feb. 21, 2021 trial date is scheduled for a Pontiac man charged with the June 28 homicide of a 26-year- old outside an apartment building in the city.
James Michael-Austin Kincaid, 23, is accused of shooting to death Jaylen Harris, 26, who was pronounced dead outs ide an apar tment building on Ridgemont Street. An anonymous tip about the shooter and review of security video which reportedly recorded the shooting helped authorities track down Kincaid, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Kincaid is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and a firearms offense, and could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
Seven years ago, Kincaid was given what was described as “a second chance” after killing his father and being sentenced as a juvenile for manslaughter, becoming a ward of the state until his 19th birthday. He was 15 when he stabbed his father, Leo Stewart III, in the leg after reportedly being confronted about his involvement in a Pontiac gang. It’s believed Stewart was trying to stop Kincaid from leaving the home when he was stabbed. The knife hit Stewart’s femoral artery, causing his death.
Kincaid reportedly had a history of behavioral and mental health issues prior to the incident.
Shortly before he was sentenced in Oakland County Circuit Court on Jan. 23, 2013, Kincaid thanked Judge James Alexander for giving him “a second chance.”
Kincaid had initially been charged with seconddegree murder, as an adult.
In handing down the sentence for Stewart’s slaying, Alexander admonished the teen for the stabbing and said his father was trying to look out for him. But sentencing him as an adult, Alexander said, “would be nothing more than to give you a higher education in crime, and I’m not prepared to do that.”
Alexander also told Kincaid that “the best we can do right now is try to put you on a path that — while you’ll never forget this — will make you a productive citizen.”
Kincaid’s jury trial scheduled for February is assigned to Oakland County Circuit Judge Nanci Grant.