FORT WORTH – The mother of a 9-year-old Arlington boy who starved to death has pleaded guilty to capital murder. Marcella Williams, 25, was sentenced Monday to life in prison for the 2004 death of Davontae Williams.
The plea agreement allowed Ms. Williams to avoid a possible death sentence. She will have to serve at least 40 years before becoming eligible for parole. "We think it was the right thing to do," said Mitch Poe, an assistant Tarrant County district attorney.
"Her family had gone to her and said, 'Go ahead and plead guilty. You know you're guilty. You know you did it. Don't put us through another trial.' "
Much of Davontae's short, neglected life was played out in June during the capital murder trial of Lisa Ann Coleman, his mother's girlfriend. Ms. Coleman, 30, is on death row for her role in the boy's death. Davontae's body was found July 26, 2004, at the home he shared with Ms. Williams and Ms. Coleman.
Davontae was malnourished and had more than 250 scars or wounds on his body, officials said. He weighed about 35 pounds – not much more than a toddler, Mr. Poe said.
Child Protective Services conducted several investigations throughout the boy's life. Davontae's history of abuse dates back to a first report to CPS when he was 2 months old. The agency would go on to make five more reports of neglect or physical abuse.
Davontae was removed from his mother's home in October 1999 after a caseworker found him scarred and hungry. The boy was reunited with his family a year later.
In June 2001, there were more reports of neglect, but the family fled before caseworkers could catch up to them.
In a sixth and final report in October 2002, CPS interviewed Davontae at Webb Elementary School, which he attended. The following month, his mother withdrew him from school and told officials she was moving.
Davontae remained hidden from social workers and school officials until paramedics were called to breathe life into his emaciated body.
"It's a very sad ending to a very sad set of events," Mr. Poe said.
They also had female children in the household that they treated well.
These were man hating lesbians that tortured a poor male child to death.
Media did everything in their power to keep it under wraps.