Georgia – In a deeply disturbing case out of Georgia, a 20-year-old woman, identified as T. Poague, is now facing serious criminal charges after authorities say she fatally beat her boyfriend’s 1-year-old son just because she couldn’t stand being around the boy and was jealous over the attention he received from his father. What began as a seemingly routine emergency call to a hospital in Americus quickly turned into a homicide investigation, culminating in charges of felony murder, aggravated battery, and cruelty to children against Poague.
Poague now stands accused of inflicting fatal injuries on the boy while she was the only adult alone with him in her college dorm. Prosecutors allege the child died at her hands on January 14, 2024, after suffering a brutal beating while his father, identified as J. Williams, stepped out to buy food. Authorities say the toddler was in good health when Williams left him in Poague’s care at the dorm. But not long after, Williams received a chilling text from Poague: his son wasn’t breathing. He rushed back to find the boy unresponsive and bleeding. Despite efforts to stabilize him at a hospital, the young boy was pronounced dead that same day.
According to medical reports and statements in court, the toddler had suffered devastating internal trauma, including a fractured skull, brain bleeding, bruises to the head, and a lacerated liver. Prosecutor L. Lamb told jurors these injuries were not accidental, describing how Poague struck the boy with “malice aforethought,” causing injuries that rendered his brain “useless” and left his internal organs severely damaged.
The motive, prosecutors argue, was rooted in jealousy. Poague, then 18, allegedly grew resentful toward the boy, feeling ignored by his father and unable to bond with the child. Evidence included text messages Poague sent to her roommate the same day, saying, “I can’t stand being around him anymore. He hates me and I hate him.” Lamb told jurors that Poague didn’t want the role of stepmother to someone else’s child; she wanted her own family, with Williams, but not with his son. “She wanted to have a child or children with Williams,” the prosecutor said. “But not that child.”
Poague’s defense attorney, W. Gamble, painted a different narrative, suggesting that the child’s injuries might have stemmed from a fall from a 40-inch-high bed the night before. He claimed that dorm residents heard a child crying late that night and that Williams, reportedly drunk, had passed out. Gamble also pointed to the child’s empty stomach as evidence he may have been unwell before the fatal incident. “In seeking justice in this case, do not let justice be found at the cross of innocent blood,” Gamble said in court. “Poague is not guilty of the crime she is accused of.” Still, prosecutors maintain that the young boy was healthy and alert in videos taken shortly before Williams left to buy food, making Poague’s claims of an accidental fall the previous night seem deeply contradictory.
Shortly after the incident, Georgia Southwestern State University police contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Poague was arrested days later following interviews and a review of forensic evidence. She was later released on bond. If convicted, Poague could spend the rest of her life behind bars. Williams, still mourning his son’s death, has voiced frustration over Poague’s initial release on bond. “This feels like a slap in the face to me and my family,” he told local media. “All we want is justice for my son.” The trial continues, but for the family of the victim, the pain of losing a child in such a senseless act of violence is already a life sentence of its own.
