The prosecution in the Nixzaliz Santiago murder trial was expected to rest its case Thursday, but instead things came to a halt as attorneys haggled over a future witness.

The witness in question is a New York Daily News reporter who wrote a 2006 article in which a conversation between Santiago and her neighbor is recounted. In the conversation, Santiago supposedly told her neighbor that she was a victim of domestic violence.

The defense wants to present the article as evidence that Santiago was, like her 7-year-old daughter Nixmary Brown, a victim of her husband, Cesar Rodriguez.

Authorities say Nixzmary died on Jan. 11, 2006, while being punished for stealing yogurt. Rodriguez, her stepfather, was convicted of manslaughter for delivering the fatal blow. Santiago is charged with murder and accused of doing nothing to stop Rodriguez.