Zaki Davis (Mecklenburg County Jail).
Zaki Davis received his life sentence after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the tragic death of Israel Williams. This verdict was confirmed by the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office, according to a recent Facebook announcement.
On December 17, 2021, Davis was responsible for looking after Israel at his residence in northwest Charlotte. Throughout the evening, he fed the infant and sent photos of him to his girlfriend. At 9:23 p.m., Davis also shared an image of his mother holding Israel.
Subsequently, Davis took Israel upstairs, and within 30 minutes, the child became unresponsive. Medical examinations determined that Israel suffered “non-accidental trauma” at the hands of Davis, with the incident being classified as a homicide. The motive behind Davis’s actions remains unspecified in the report.
Investigations into Davis’s cellphone activity uncovered alarming searches, including “baby acting lifeless” and “baby not responding but heart is,” conducted shortly before he dialed 911 around 10 p.m. Despite paramedics’ efforts, Israel was declared dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. Davis was apprehended just days following the incident and has been held in the Mecklenburg County Jail since his arrest.
Cellphone data revealed that Davis searched “baby acting lifeless” and “baby not responding but heart is” before calling 911 just before 10 p.m. Paramedics rushed Israel to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead a short time later. Cops arrested Davis a few days after Israel’s death and he has been in the Mecklenburg County Jail ever since.
District Attorney Spencer B. Merriweather III noted that Davis was sentenced on the first day of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“April is a rife occasion to remind one another about our collective obligation to support and strengthen families, to foster caring communities and to protect all children,” Merriweather said in a statement.
