Lowndes County Man To Get New Trial

(columbus, MS) WCBI – A Lowndes County man will get a new trial on statutory rape charges.

The state supreme court Thursday agreed with inmate Tony Jenning’s claims a confession he gave to the 2010 rape was coerced and illegally obtained.

In its opinion the court said Lowndes County detectives who questioned Jennings did not stop their interrogation of the suspect when it became apparent he wished to invoke his right to have an attorney present while being questioned.

The court also questioned a signed waiver of his rights when a recording of the interrogation showed Jennings had told officers he could not read . That confession was a key part of the evidence used to convict Jenning in 2011. The case will now return to Lowndes County for a new trial