The trial of a Fort Wayne mother accused of killing her son will continue Wednesday

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Testimony continues in the murder trial of a Fort Wayne mother accused of killing her three-year-old son. The trial began Tuesday.

Latisha Lawson, 31, admitted to police she forced a mixture of oil and vinegar down Jeziah King’s throat and held his mouth shut until he stopped breathing.

In court documents, Lawson said she was trying to exorcise demons from the boy. That was in November 2009.  She’s said to have wrapped him in a blanket and put his lifeless body in a closet for about a year.

Lawson fed the same mixture to her 10-year-old daughter who vomited when given it. Her son was given the oil and vinegar three times. On the third time, Lawson told detectives she held Jezaih’s mouth shut for about 10 minutes until he stopped breathing.

Lawson was arrested in December 2010.  She faces five charges including battery and neglect of a dependent.

The toddler's sister is scheduled to testify in her mother's trial. The trial is expected to last four days in Allen County court.

Testimony began late Tuesday afternoon with the state's first witness, Detective Timothy Vachon.  A family friend of Lawson's who knew the defendent since she was a young child took the stand last. 

Yvonne Hill testified that she ran into Lawson in recent years for the first time in a considerable amount of time.  The two exchanged phone numbers.  Hill said Lawson called her in the fall of 2010 needing a place to stay the night.  Hill offered her  house for one night, she said. 

Latisha Lawson arrived at Hill's residence with her 10-year-old daughter, a basket of clothes, a plastic tote and few other personal items.  In conversation that night, Hill asked Lawson if she had any other children.  Lawson mentioned her son, Jeziah and was quoted by Hill as saying he "was in a safe place," that he was "adopted."

Hill assisted Lawson in finding a more permanent shelter through Hill's church pastor.  The pastor allowed Lawson to stay in a home on Wabash Avenue, where police would later discover her dead child's  body.

Another woman will also head to trial in this death.  The Allen County Prosecutor’s office filed seven felony charges against Natasha Hawkins, 31, who was Lawson's roommate at the time of the boy's death.

Hawkins along with her three children, Lawson and her daughter were all present when the boy stopped breathing, court documents indicate. Hawkins told police that she would burn a candle in the residence to mask the smell of the body.

The charges against Hawkins relate to aiding in battery causing death. Other charges of neglect and battery resulting in bodily injury relate to Hawkins’ treatment of her own children.

Hawkins' trial will begin in August.