Family members say man accused of murdering toddler is kind, gentle

SAN DIEGO -- (KSWB) -- A young woman testified Monday in the Tieray Jones murder trial that she heard a little boy screaming the day that 2-year-old Jahi Turner disappeared in 2002.

J'aime Brown said she was about 8-years-old when she was playing at the park where Jahi Turner was reported missing by his stepfather.

“I vaguely –- it's a little blurry it was so long ago –- I vaguely remember a little boy screaming that was being taken into a house," Brown said.

Jones, who is accused of murdering the little boy, has always said he took Jahi to a playground near Balboa Park. Jones claims he left the boy alone when he walked to get a drink from a nearby vending machine, and when he returned, Jahi was gone.

“I remember my dad took me home, and we saw him on TV and I remember, like, oh that looks like the little boy that I saw," said Brown.

After Brown testified, Jones' current wife and his stepfather took the stand. Both were questioned about Jones' behavior with his biological children.

“It was always calm – relaxed them down and then talked the situation over. Tieray is not violent – or he doesn't yell either," said Jones' sister LaToya Jones.

Jones' stepfather also testified about a phone call he had with Jahi's mother, Tameka Jones, who was away on Navy deployment when her son vanished.