Jackson, Mich. (WKHM) — After closing arguments were heard on Friday morning in the case relating to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Lansing resident Kalil Calunga-Rodriguez, a Jackson County jury found 22-year-old Jayvion Hodge not guilty of Open Murder after deliberation.

The incident took place on the 400 block of Griswold Street in Jackson on the night of June 2, 2024.

The closing argument from prosecutors argued that text messages from Hodge to a group chat, his then-girlfriend, and to Calunga-Rodriguez showed that he had intended to kill him that day, mentioning how he messaged the group chat that he loaded a gun when he saw someone earlier in the evening who looked like him.

The prosecution argued that he had his girlfriend pick him and his cousin up with her vehicle that night to drive to Griswold Street where Calunga-Rodriguez was staying with his girlfriend, and that he was killed after gunfire was exchanged between the two parties while Hodge was still in the vehicle.

That night, Hodge had made internet searches on his phone of “Jackson late night homicide” and “does God forgive murderers” which prosecutors argued showed signs of guilt.

The defense attorney’s closing statement was mainly focused on the timeframe of the shooting itself, arguing that the testimony that took place over the week and video evidence that was shown supports the claim that Calunga-Rodriguez shot first, and that Hodge had shot back in self defense.

The defense acknowledged that the text messages that Hodge had sent were not good, specifically the ones to Calunga-Rodriguez, but argued that both sides were threatening the other’s life, and that saying something and doing something are two different things.

The defense said that the vehicle was shot before it even got to the front of the Griswold Street residence based on where the broken glass from the vehicle’s back window was found, and that the prosecution has to prove that Hodge did not act in self defense and not the other way around.

The defense also mentioned that none of the people who testified had said that it was Hodge who fired the first shot.

During the prosecution’s closing rebuttal, they presented a timeline of messages they claimed had shown a timeline that proved Hodge had premeditated killing Calunga-Rodriguez that night.

They argued that since nobody who testified said that they had seen the shooting as it was taking place, they only had Hodge’s word to rely on as to who shot first.

Ultimately, Judge John McBain read the jury’s finding after multiple hours of deliberation that Hodge was not guilty of the Open Murder charge. Hodge was found guilty of Felony Firearm, which carries a sentence of 2 years on a first offense.

This jury trial began on Tuesday, with details of court activity for each day available by clicking here.