Inset: Arayia Hudson (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area near where Hudson killed her son in Tampa, Fla. (Google Maps).
A Florida woman will spend four decades behind bars for kicking and beating her 4-year-old son to death.
In late August, Arayia Hudson, 38, pleaded guilty to one count each of second-degree murder and aggravated child abuse over the death of Joseph Hudson, according to Hillsborough County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Now, the defendant has been sentenced by 13th Judicial Circuit Judge Lyann Goudie to 40 years in prison, court records show. The prison sentence is to be followed by 15 years of probation. Hudson received credit for 785 days spent in pretrial detention.
The underlying incident occurred in July 2024 at a residence on North 15th Street in Tampa, according to a press release issued by the Tampa Police Department. During the early morning hours, police responded to a call from the defendant herself that her son was unresponsive.
"Officers arrived within minutes and provided CPR," the police department said. "Tragically, Joseph was later pronounced deceased at a nearby hospital."
The mother claimed her son had started coughing and having difficulty breathing after eating potato chips and drinking water.
But police quickly ferreted out the truth.
Detectives found evidence revealing a history of abuse, and the investigation shifted toward the mother, law enforcement said.
The medical examiner determined the little boy had contusions on his head, discoloration around his eyes, and abrasions to his torso. Some marks were old and some were new — suggesting a pattern of abuse. During his autopsy, it was determined he also had injuries to his internal organs, including swelling of his brain. Joseph's death was ruled a homicide caused by blunt impact to his head and torso.
Authorities also determined Hudson used some kind of "tinted makeup" on her son's face — particularly around the discolored eyes — in an effort to cover up the abuse he long suffered.
One of Hudson's other children told police he saw his mother kick his sibling in the stomach and push him headfirst into a wall several times over the days leading up to his death, according to a charging document obtained by Tampa-based NBC affiliate WFLA.
The other child also told investigators he regularly saw Hudson beating Joseph with a shoe, according to law enforcement.
The defendant was arrested in July 2024. Hudson's surviving children were then placed with their biological fathers, authorities said. None of those fathers lived with Hudson at the time of Joseph's death.
"This is a heinous crime," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said at the time of Hudson's arrest. "Every child deserves to feel safe in their own home and especially with their own mother."