Inset: Anthony Vice (WSB). Background: Sophia Williams at her sentencing for the murder of her 4-year-old son Anthony Vice (WSB).
A Georgia mother "whooped" her 4-year-old son to death "because he would not use the toilet" and "was not potty trained," according to prosecutors. She's now headed to prison until the day she dies.
Sophia Williams, 43, was sentenced to life Tuesday without the possibility of parole after being convicted of malice murder, felony murder, child cruelty and aggravated battery in August, according to the DeKalb County District Attorney's Office.
Williams, who is from Decatur, killed her son Anthony Vice in March 2022.
"Williams told officers that Anthony was not potty trained," according to a press release from DeKalb County prosecutors. "She admitted to disciplining him by striking him with her hand, a house slipper, a purse strap, and a charging cord when he did not listen, or when he urinated and defecated outside of the toilet."
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On the day of Anthony's death, a 13-year-old child who was also living in the home said Williams "whooped" Anthony because "he would not use the bathroom." She claimed that the boy accidentally hit his head the week prior, and that she was not responsible for any injuries he sustained.
The 13-year-old told police that Anthony "appeared to be dizzy" and fell to the floor after being pummeled by Williams.
"The defendant placed Anthony on her bed and threw water on him," the DA's office says. "He revived momentarily, but became unresponsive again. His only movements throughout the night were reflexive, his arm jerking and his leg kicking."
Williams searched on her phone for phrases such as "remedy for concussion" and "coma – symptoms and causes" before eventually falling asleep. She woke up around 5 a.m. to Anthony making a "low grunting sound" and his body "completely limp."
Prosecutors say Williams noticed that Anthony stopped breathing and she initially called his father, then 911.
"Williams told officers that she did not want to call for help because of the bruises on Anthony's body," the DA's office says. "An autopsy showed that Anthony's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and it is likely he would have survived if Williams had sought medical care when she first observed the signs of Anthony's head injury."
DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney Sarah Hillren described the severity of Williams' assault on Anthony at her sentencing Tuesday. The judge who sentenced Williams called Anthony's death one of the most gruesome crimes she's ever seen, according to local ABC affiliate WSB.
"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," Hillren concluded before the judge handed down her sentence.
