Americus, Georgia – A former Miss Donalsonville pageant winner has been sentenced to life in prison for killing her boyfriend’s toddler son inside a Georgia Southwestern State University dorm room while the child’s father stepped out briefly to pick up a pizza. Prosecutors said the 18-month-old boy went from healthy to fatally injured in under 30 minutes, leaving jurors convinced that the young pageant winner was responsible for his violent death.
Campus tragedy unfolds inside a freshman dorm room
Prosecutors told jurors that 20-year-old Trinity Poague inflicted catastrophic blunt-force injuries on 18-month-old Romeo “J.D.” Angeles on January 14, 2024, while she was alone with him in her dorm room. Surveillance, timeline evidence and witness testimony showed the toddler was alert and fine shortly before noon when his father, Julian Williams, left to pick up food.
When Williams returned, his son was vomiting, barely conscious and rapidly declining. He rushed him to Phoebe Sumter Hospital, where doctors could not save him.
Investigators later confirmed the boy suffered a fractured skull, severe brain bleeding and a lacerated liver.
What prosecutors said happened in the final hour
During closing arguments, Prosecutor Lewis Lamb told jurors that J.D.’s condition deteriorated with alarming speed.
Lamb said the toddler was a “healthy little boy” minutes before Williams left.
By 12:30 p.m., Lamb told the jury, the child was already “in a literal death countdown.”
The state emphasized that video evidence and medical findings showed the fatal injuries occurred within an hour of hospital arrival, during the exact window in which Poague was alone with the child.
Tension, resentment and motive highlighted in court
Prosecutors pointed to messages Poague allegedly sent that same day expressing her frustration with the boy. One of the texts read, “I can’t stand being around J.D. anymore. He hates me and I hate him.”
They argued Poague resented Williams’ attention toward his son and wanted a family with him — but not one that included J.D.
Jurors also heard that the couple’s relationship was rocky, and that Poague did not want a stepmother role with the toddler.
The defense argued accident and reasonable doubt
Poague’s attorney, W.T. Gamble, insisted prosecutors overlooked other explanations. He argued the boy may have fallen from a 40-inch-high bed the night before or been hurt when Williams, intoxicated, cared for him. He also suggested injuries could have occurred while Poague and Williams were showering earlier that day.
Gamble told jurors there were “reasonable doubts” and urged them not to convict based on assumptions.
But after reviewing medical evidence, timelines and witness testimony, the jury rejected the defense theory.
The verdict and emotional courtroom reaction
Poague was found guilty of felony murder and aggravated battery. She was acquitted of malice murder but was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
She broke down in tears as the verdict was read. Audible gasps filled the courtroom.
J.D.’s father expressed frustration that Poague had been free on bond before trial, calling it “a slap in the face” to his family.
Her past as a beauty queen
Before enrolling at Georgia Southwestern State University in August 2023, Poague had been crowned Miss Donalsonville 2023 and competed in the National Peanut Festival pageant. Local reports say her crown has since been revoked.
Social media posts from that time show a young woman celebrating her achievements and planning a future — now overshadowed by a life sentence for a child’s death.
The investigation timeline that led to Poague’s arrest
On the day of the incident, campus police notified the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about the unresponsive child. After reviewing interviews, medical reports and physical evidence, GBI agents arrested Poague days later.
The indictment alleged she delivered blunt-force trauma to the child’s head and torso, rendering his brain “useless” and causing significant internal damage.
Why this case resonated across Georgia
The story drew major attention because it combined a university setting, a young beauty queen, a fractured relationship and the shocking death of an 18-month-old child. The rapid decline in the boy’s condition and the prosecution’s detailed timeline strongly influenced jurors, ultimately sealing Poague’s fate.
Final thoughts
The case left a university community stunned and a family shattered. With Poague now facing decades behind bars, the trial brought closure but not healing for those grieving a child who, according to prosecutors, was healthy and playful just minutes before he suffered fatal trauma.
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