The judge in the case of an Edgecomb man accused of killing a toddler declared a mistrial on Wednesday after defense attorneys objected to an emotional outburst by the child’s mother, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Tyler Witham-Jordan, 30, is charged with depraved indifference murder for the death of Makinzlee Handrahan, the 3-year-old daughter of his then-girlfriend Faith Lewis, 32.
On Christmas morning in 2022, Lewis called 911 after finding her daughter cold, stiff, bruised and not breathing.
Emergency dispatchers said they heard Lewis say, “Oh my god, I think my daughter’s dead.”
Her boyfriend, later identified as Witham-Jordan, could be heard saying, “I’m f——d” and “I’m finished.”
First responders said they found bruises all over the girl’s body. The state medical examiner ruled that she died by blunt force trauma.
State prosecutors reportedly showed Lewis photos of her daughter’s body in Lincoln County Superior Court on Wednesday, at which Lewis started sobbing and cried out, “What did he do to my baby?” the Press Herald reported.
At a break in the trial, the defense asked the judge to declare a mistrial, saying the state had purposely shown the photos at an unexpected time to elicit an explosive reaction from Lewis, and that her response had created a prejudice against the defendant, according to the Press Herald.
Superior Justice Daniel Billings, who ultimately declared a mistrial, reportedly said the scene “could have been avoided.”
It was not immediately clear how the mistrial would affect the charges against Witham-Jordan.
