The trial of Trinity Poague, a former beauty queen from Georgia, began this week. Poague, now 20, is accused of fatally beating her boyfriend’s 18-month-old son, Romeo Angeles, also known as Jaxton Dru Williams or J.D., in January 2024. The charges against her include murder, aggravated battery, and child cruelty. The prosecution alleges that Poague, who was 18 at the time, committed the crime in her dorm room at Georgia Southwestern State University, where she was studying.
On the day of the incident, J.D.’s father, Julian Williams, then 23, had left the child in Poague’s care while he went to Walmart and picked up a pizza. However, while he was on his way back, he received a text from Poague stating that J.D. was not breathing. Upon his return, Williams found his son unresponsive and rushed him to the emergency room. Despite attempts to stabilize the child for a transfer to a children’s hospital in Atlanta, J.D. was pronounced dead.
Prosecutor Lewis Lamb presented to the jury the extent of J.D.’s injuries, which included a fractured skull, a lacerated liver, and bruises on his head. Lamb argued that the severity of the brain bleed indicated that the child had been struck on the head within hours of being admitted to the hospital. Surveillance footage showed that J.D. was in good health when his father left for Walmart, leaving Poague as the only person with the child during that time.
The prosecution also highlighted Poague’s alleged resentment towards J.D. Lamb described the relationship between Poague and Williams as tumultuous, with J.D. being a significant source of contention. Poague reportedly texted her roommate on the day of the incident, expressing her dislike for J.D. and her jealousy over the attention Williams gave his son. Lamb stated that Poague wanted to start a family with Williams but did not want to include J.D.
However, Poague’s defense attorney, W.T. Gamble, offered a different narrative. He suggested that J.D.’s injuries could have resulted from a fall from a bed the night before his death. Gamble also pointed out that people in the dorm had heard a child crying that night and that Williams was allegedly intoxicated. He further noted the lack of food in J.D.’s stomach, suggesting the child may have been unwell before his death.
The indictment against Poague alleges that she inflicted blunt force trauma to J.D.’s head and torso with “malice aforethought,” rendering the boy’s brain “useless” and causing “serious disfigurement” to his liver. Following an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Poague was arrested a few days after the incident.
Before the incident, Poague had been crowned Miss Donalsonville, Georgia, in 2023 and had competed in the National Peanut Festival beauty pageant. However, she has since been stripped of her title. Poague has been out on bond since shortly after her arrest, a decision that has upset Williams and his family.