Mistrial declared in trial of man charged with murder in Edgecomb toddler’s death

Edgecomb: So, there was this big trial going on about a toddler’s death, and it took a wild turn. Faith Lewis, the mom, was in court, ready to talk about her daughter Makinzlee. But when they showed her a photo of Makinzlee’s injuries, she just lost it. She started crying and asking, “What did he do to my baby?”

That moment was so intense that the judge had to call a mistrial. The guy on trial, Tyler Witham-Jordan, is accused of killing Makinzlee, and his lawyers argued that the emotional outburst made it impossible for the jury to be fair. They claimed the state knew showing that photo would cause a reaction.

The judge agreed, saying he’d never seen anything like it before. He felt the emotional scene was too much for the jury to handle. Everyone thinks there will be another trial, probably in the spring. The defense is still pushing to get the case thrown out altogether.

Lewis had shared some heartbreaking details about that Christmas morning when she found her daughter unresponsive. She had trusted Witham-Jordan to check on Makinzlee while she got ready for bed. It’s just a tragic situation all around, and now the community is left waiting for what happens next.