Jury to Start Mulling SC Missing Boy Case Friday

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO/AP) — Jurors are delaying their deliberations concerning the fate of a 23-year-old mother charged in the case of her missing son. A judge is allowing jurors to return Friday morning to begin discussing the case against Zinah Jennings. Closing arguments ended Thursday in the trial against Zinah Jennings. Other developments Thursday in the trial of Jennings, mother of missing Midlands toddler Amir Jennings, took a turn. A witness called by the defense claims she saw Zinah and Amir at her consignment store in Lexington County in late December 2011. Before Thursday, the last known sighting of the toddler was November 29, 2011. The witness says she knew without a doubt the toddler she saw around December 22-23, 2011 was Amir Jennings and the woman he was with was Zinah Jennings. The witness also stated that she does have a camera in her store, but it does not record. Instead, the witness stated she only uses it for crime prevention purposes. After the witness testified, defense attorney Hemphill Pride moved for a mistrial, the second since the trial began, because he said the prosecution made a ‘Brady violation.’ Pride claimed he was not made aware of the reported sighting. However, the prosecution showed a report from an investigator in the case who interviewed the witness on both January 6 & January 7, 2011. The prosecution also said Pride was given a copy of the document. Judge Knox McMahon found the prosecution did not make a ‘Brady violation’ and denied the mistrial motion. Jennings is currently on trial for Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child in connection with the disappearance of her now 2 year old son, Amir Jennings. If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.