Mom Beat Son To Death Because He Was Not Potty Trained, DeKalb Prosecutors Say

DECATUR, GA — A judge has sentenced a mother convicted of beating her 4-year-old son to death "because he would not use the toilet," and she did not immediately notify authorities of his injuries, the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

A jury on Aug. 27 found Sophia Williams, 43, guilty of murder and other charges in connection with the beating death of her son, Anthony Vice, prosecutors said. She was sentenced Tuesday.

The deadly incident happened the morning of March 6, 2022 at an Tregoney Drive apartment in Decatur.

Prosecutors said DeKalb County Police officers responded to a call of a child who was not breathing. When they arrived, officers found Vice on the living room floor without a heartbeat.

Emergency medical workers rendered aid and observed "new and old bruising over the child’s entire body," prosecutors said. Vice was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where he was pronounced dead.

What Happened?

Williams told officers that Vice was not potty trained and that she disciplined him when he did not listen or when he urinated and defecated outside the toilet, prosecutors said.

She would hit him with her hand, a house slipper, a purse strap and a charging cord, they said.

Additionally, they said Williams claimed Vice hit his head during the prior week and that she was not responsible for his head injuries.

A 13-year-old teenager in the home told officers that Williams "whooped" Vice the afternoon of March 5, 2022, because he would not use the bathroom, prosecutors said.

The teenager recounted Vice appearing to be dizzy and falling to the floor, where he was unresponsive, prosecutors said.

Williams then placed Vice on her bed and threw water on him, and though he revived momentarily, prosecutors said he became unresponsive a second time.

"His only movements throughout the night were reflexive, his arm jerking and his leg kicking," prosecutors said.

Williams then searched online for phrases, “remedy for concussion” and “Coma – symptoms and causes.” She then fell asleep, awaking around 5 a.m. to find Vice making a "low grunting sound."

He was limp, and Williams felt him no longer breathing, prosecutors said. She called his father at 5:38 a.m. to notify him of the situation and later called 911 at 6:26 a.m.

She told officers "she did not want to call for help because of the bruises on Anthony’s body," prosecutors said.

After an autopsy, Vice's cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. Prosecutors said he may have survived if Williams immediately sought medical care when she initially noticed signs of his head injury.

She was convicted of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, four counts of first-degree cruelty to children and three counts of aggravated battery, prosecutors said.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Asha F. Jackson sentenced Williams to life without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years.