A woman from Georgia has been sentenced to life imprisonment following the tragic death of her 4-year-old son last year.
On Tuesday, Judge Asha F. Jackson of the DeKalb County Superior Court handed down a life sentence without parole to 43-year-old Sophia Williams in relation to Anthony Vice’s murder.
According to the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, officers arrived at an apartment complex on Tregoney Drive on March 6, 2022, after receiving a call about an unresponsive child.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, authorities discovered young Anthony lying on the floor inside an apartment, not breathing. First responders observed he had no pulse and his body was covered in bruises.
Williams confessed to striking her son with various items, including a charging cord, a purse strap, her slipper, and her hand. She alleged that she was disciplining him for failing to use the toilet properly.
She also mentioned that Anthony had hit his head the previous week, insisting that she did not inflict any head injuries on him.
First responders rushed the victim to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where medical staff pronounced him dead.
When officers interviewed a 13-year-old inside the home, he said the victim fell to the floor, dizzy, after Williams “whooped” him for not being potty-trained.
Williams attempted to revive Anthony by throwing water on him. He remained unresponsive throughout the night. The following day, Williams called the child’s father for help, and close to an hour later, called 911.
The DA’s office reportedly said that Williams did not want to call for help because of the bruising on Anthony.
“Because the conduct alleged was so heinous, so cruel, it is the state’s position that she should not be permitted to live out any portion of her life in the community,” DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney Sarah Hilleren said.
Jackson said that during her 14 years on the bench, the crime was one of the most gruesome she had seen, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Anthony’s cause of death was from blunt force trauma. He could have survived had she sought medical care after the head injury.
[Feature Photo: Family Handout]
