Found Deceased GA - William Deshawn Hamilton, 6, 1999, unidentified for 23 years, his mother Teresa Black charged.

New Posts

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 6
LT Quigley asks if she remembers whether she gave him any sort of medicine to help him feel better. Teresa says William was throwing up so she gave him a lozenge. She states it was not liquid. She says she tried to give him what she could to help him. LT Quigley asks whether she called for an ambulance, she said no but she should have done.

LT Quigley asks what she did next after finding William unresponsive. He asks whether he buried him, and she says no. LT Quigley asks whether she was using drugs at that time, Teresa says she was using marijuana and cocaine occasionally, "whatever someone had at the time".

Teresa says when she went back to North Carolina she was going to try and tell someone about what happened to William but she didn't. LT Quigley asks whether Teresa believes he was suffering from malnourishment, she said she did think that due to their lifestyle at the time and not eating properly.

LT Quigley asks about William's symptoms. Teresa said he was weak and lethargic. LT Quigley then asks whether Teresa's daughter knows, she said no.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 7
Teresa says she does not remember a cemetery being nearby but because it was a while ago maybe that's why. When asked if she could remember what William was wearing, she said she thought he had a black jacket which she put over his body but she didn't move his body. LT Quigley asks if she can remember anything about near where they were and Teresa says about some bus stops but that's it.

LT Quigley asks why they wasn't always at the shelter and Teresa said there was overflow so first come first served. LT Quigley then leaves the room. Teresa is sitting with her hand on her mouth making some crying noises. This continues for a few minutes. LT Quigley returns to take her DNA swab.

The interview ends.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Constance Fisher, FBI DNA Examiner
Constance explains about what DNA is, how it is unique and how it is tested for evidence. The prosecution asks about making connections in families through DNA, and mitochondrial DNA is discussed.

Constance is asked whether she was asked to compare Teresa's DNA, she confirms she was and was asked to compare a mitochondrial match. The prosecution brings up the document of her analysis. The results of the kinship comparison from William's remains and Teresa's DNA, revealed 14 out of 15 markers, indicating a parent-to-child relationship. The missing marker is due to a mutation which is quite normal during these comparisons.

The defense state they have no questions so no cross-examination takes place.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Bessie Brown
Bessie attends church across the road from where William was found. She has been an active member for many years and is the church's historian.

The prosecution shows Bessie a photo of Teresa and asks if she recognises her, Bessie says she does not. She is asked whether she may have been a member of the church and Bessie says she does not recognise her as being a member. The prosecution asks if this lady ever came into the church to ask for help, Bessie says no.

The prosecution ask whether the church was doing any outreach work for the homeless, Bessie says yes and they often went to them to offer support incase they were not willing to come to the church.

The prosecution present a photo of the church and how near it is to the area where William's remains were found. Bessie is asked that during 1998-1999 was it customary for people to hang out in those woods or cemetery, she said not to her knowledge. The prosecution asks if she had any knowledge of people sleeping in those woods, Bessie says no.

The defense state they have no questions so no cross-examination takes place.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Shirley Baker
Shirley worked at a homeless shelter. Shirley is asked what services the shelter provides and she lists from meals and daily necessities to mental health services, helping find employment and assistance with benefits. Shirley confirms they worked with the night shelters in the area of Atlanta.

The prosecution ask what sort of food the night shelters provide, Shirley says snacks and an evening meal. Shirley says for those in need of an address to gain benefits, the shelter would help with that also. The prosecution ask whether the shelter allows both women and children and Shirley confirms they do. Shirley states that they have curfews which came be a problem for some people using the shelter, due to working hours not fitting into the required time to return.

The prosecution ask if any of the women staying there ever worked in the adult industry/clubs that were open til late, hence the curfew may be an issue. Shirley said yes and they would try to persuade those who did to pursue another sort of employment. The prosecution asked whether women with children would be prioritised in terms of offering them a space at the shelter and Shirley said yes they would try to do that. The prosecution asked what would happen if a woman and young child turned up in need of help but there were no spaces available. Shirley says if there was no bed they would direct them to a lobby area so they would have some sort of shelter. Shirley says that sometimes people would park their cars near the shelter and sleep in them as it felt safe.

The defense state they have no questions so no cross-examination takes place.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Montiquelyn Davis, owner of the daycare where William attended
Montiquelyn confirms she worked in Charlotte, North Carolina, and owned a daycare, using her home. She looked after William at the request of William's grandparents. Montiquelyn thinks William was two years old at this time. The prosecution asks who Montiquelyn interacted with most out of William's family and she said William's Grandmother. She thinks William was at the daycare for about three years. Initially, when William first started attending the daycare, Teresa was not in his life.

The prosecution ask how often would William be in her care and she states sometimes everyday. When asked if he would stay all day Montiquelyn said he would sometimes stay for a week at a time and she says "he was like family". The prosecution asked whether she has any pictures of William and Montiquelyn says yes. Photographs are shown.

The prosecution ask how long it was until Teresa came back into William's life, Montiquelyn believes it was when he was 3-4 years old. At this point Teresa would pay for his care and he did not stay as much as previously. Montiquelyn ended up closing her daycare once all the children she cared for turned 5 years old. She says after this, she seen him at school sometimes. She also recalls Ava, Teresa's best friend and the lady who called the tip in, came to her concerned about his whereabouts.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
The defense questions Montiquelyn Davis
Montiquelyn is asked about when she first started watching William who he was mostly in the care of, she confirms again that he was cared for by his grandparents. The defense says about her observations of William's appearance and she says he was a bedwetter so would sometimes arrive smelling like urine. The defense ask whether she would determine this was due to William's grandparents being older so may have not managed to fully meet his needs and she said she did consider that. She expands on this by saying not just their age but because they were still working and may not have had the time. The defense ask whether Teresa did pay for his care and Montiquelyn says yes once she was back in his life.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Margaret Hamilton, William's Paternal Grandmother
Margaret states she lives in Charlotte and has lived there for over 30 years and was there in 1998-1999. The prosecution ask questions about their family in terms of how many children she has and grandchildren. She confirms her son William, is William DeShawn Hamilton's father. When asked about the dynamics between her son William and Teresa when William was first born, she says it was ok. They brought baby William over and he was able to be around his paternal side of the family.

The prosecution ask how long William was in the custody of his other grandparents, Teresa's parents. Margaret says for about two years and that he was about four years old. She says in this time they were able to visit and spend time with him. The prosecution ask whether her son was able to see William at the grandparent's residence and have some sort of custody and Margaret says yes.

The prosecution ask did anything change once Teresa took William back into her care. Margaret says that he stayed over for a weekend and when they dropped him back home they were later than planned. Teresa said they cannot see him anymore because of this. Margaret is asked whether she had any concerns about William's hygiene when he was living with Teresa and she says he would wet the bed and would smell like urine. The prosecution ask whether Margaret had concerns about William's hygiene when he was in the care of Teresa's parent and she says "not really.

Margaret confirms the last pair of shoes she bought for William was the Timberland boots, found with his remains.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Moonstrawbs said:
Next witness up, the state calls Margaret Hamilton, William's Paternal Grandmother
Margaret states she lives in Charlotte and has lived there for over 30 years and was there in 1998-1999. The prosecution ask questions about their family in terms of how many children she has and grandchildren. She confirms her son William, is William DeShawn Hamilton's father. When asked about the dynamics between her son William and Teresa when William was first born, she says it was ok. They brought baby William over and he was able to be around his paternal side of the family.

The prosecution ask how long William was in the custody of his other grandparents, Teresa's parents. Margaret says for about two years and that he was about four years old. She says in this time they were able to visit and spend time with him. The prosecution ask whether her son was able to see William at the grandparent's residence and have some sort of custody and Margaret says yes.

The prosecution ask did anything change once Teresa took William back into her care. Margaret says that he stayed over for a weekend and when they dropped him back home they were later than planned. Teresa said they cannot see him anymore because of this. Margaret is asked whether she had any concerns about William's hygiene when he was living with Teresa and she says he would wet the bed and would smell like urine. The prosecution ask whether Margaret had concerns about William's hygiene when he was in the care of Teresa's parent and she says "not really.

Margaret confirms the last pair of shoes she bought for William was the Timberland boots, found with his remains.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
Click to expand...
that poor grandmother :(
 
Margaret confirms she only had concerns about William's hygiene when he was back in Teresa's care. The prosecution ask about the occasion where Margaret dropped William off late. She said Teresa was upset with her and from that point saw him only two times after that. The prosecution ask how old William was the last time she seen him and she said 5-6 years old.

The prosecution ask Margaret what William's demeanour was like in her and she said he was a happy little boy and would play inside and outside. The prosecution ask if his demeanour changed once back in Teresa's care, Margaret said he became more timid and did not appear as happy.

The prosecution asked if Margaret saw Teresa much after the last time she recalls seeing William. She said she bumped into her on a few occasions. Once near a bus terminal and on the bus. Both times when Margaret asked where William was, Teresa said he was with his godfather. Margaret gave Teresa her phone number so she could have contact with William, something that Teresa appeared happy about and said she would pass it on to William. No contact was made. Margaret states Teresa did not tell her any further details about William's whereabouts.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Important note
The prosecution ask Margaret whether Teresa was aware of her wanting to spend time with William. Margaret says this was made clear often. She says she offered to care for him regularly. The prosecution ask whether Margaret has ever had custody of any of her Grandchildren for any period, Margaret states she has had 6 of them living with her at some point. She says she loved her Grandson William and would have provided anything he needed at anytime.

I just thought this was crucial as yet here is another person who could have easily taken William under their care. Many options were there for Teresa. Many options she denied for William.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Next witness up, the state calls Ryan Vansickle, Bus route director
Ryan was asked to obtain bus routes in 1996 Marta routes. Mainly focusing on two different areas in the Atlanta area from 1998-1999, the strip club Pleasers where Teresa worked and the church near to where William's body was found.

A map is shown to the court with the two locations in question pointed out by Ryan. He confirms there were no direct routes at that time from one of the locations to the other. Ryan says that taking multiple buses, it would have taken from an hour to two hours.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
The defense questions Ryan Vansickle
The prosecution ask how people paid in 1998 for their journeys. Ryan says paper-based passes, tokens, cash. They ask whether it has any effect on the price considering the distance you travel, Ryan says no. The defense asks about ticket prices and Ryan says about a $1.50.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
Day three
The day begins with a Daubert Hearing of Dr Marc Gonzalez, a pharmacy expert called in for the state. A Daubert hearing is a trial judge's evaluation of whether or not an expert's testimony and evidence are admissible. Daubert hearings occur when the validity of an expert's testimony is challenged due to the methodology used to form their opinion. It permits the challenged expert to develop his or her testimony for purposes of evaluating its admissibility. TO NOTE, the jury are not in court during this time.

The live feed started abruptly during Dr Gonzalez's testimony so apologies if anything is missing.

This hearing is about whether the state's expert's claim of testing William's muscle to determine toxic levels is accurate/reliable. The prosecution ask about whether Dr Gonzalez has used this method before and he confirms he has in both live patients and dead patients, in criminal cases.

The prosecution ask that in William's case, was there anything of interest in the toxicology report. Dr Gonzalez says the level of the drugs found in the muscle tissue. The prosecution state that the presence of the drugs were located in the skeletal muscle and ask if this is usual to determine toxic levels in overdose investigations. Dr Gonzalez says that is usual to use that to determine the amount of drugs in the body and how it is an indicator of how the drugs have been distributed throughout the body. He states you would have the same level of drugs found in the muscle tissue, in your blood whilst alive for it to show up in the muscle tissue. The drug in the blood has to be at least equal to the level determined in the tissue.

The prosecution ask what would be the best evidence to test someone's drug level, Dr Gonzalez says peripheral blood found in the arms and legs would be ideal but sometimes in certain investigations, it is not available. Dr Gonzalez says he has routinely had to perform investigations into potential overdoses using skeletal muscles instead. The prosecution asks if it is common practice to utilize whatever tissue is available to conduct the analysis, Dr Gonzalez says yes.

The prosecution asks whether you can determine exactly what was in the blood from the muscle tissue, Dr Gonzalez says not exactly and that it is more of an approximation and one factor to indicate certain levels. The prosecution ask Dr Gonzalez whether he believes this sort of method is useful to determine the toxic levels present, he says yes.

Important note
Dr Gonzalez says he is unable to confirm the exact time when the drugs entered the body. He says the level found in William's remains was toxic and it was not given to him all at once, it was at least two occasions.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
The state questions Dr Gonzalez
The state ask how long does the drug stay in the muscle tissue for. Dr Gonzalez says in general for adults it would be about 9 hours approximately but this can be different between individuals, some may eliminate it faster or slower. The defense ask how Dr Gonzalez can determine whether it was a single dose or multiple and Dr Gonzalez says because of the nervous system working to metabolise it, evidence shows it was atleast more than one dose. The defense are questioning this further and Dr Gonzales says the levels he found in the tissue show that William would have died before other levels developed in the tissue. For him, this proves that there cannot just be one dose.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
The judge rules on the Daubert Hearing of Dr Marc Gonzalez.
The judge says Dr Gonzalez is not allowed to testify about dose levels, the methods and theories he discussed. She said he is allowed to discuss therapeutic levels and symptoms of toxicology but nothing further.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
First witness up, the state calls Wanda Hamilton, WIlliam's aunt
The prosecution ask about how things were when Teresa took back care of William. Wanda says she just disappeared and did not ask for any help. When asked what William was like, Wanda says he was awesome. She gets extremely emotional. The prosecution ask what age was William when she last seen him, she says around 6 years old.

The prosecution ask about when Teresa returned with him, did Wanda ask where he was? She says she did and Teresa would say she would give Wanda a contact number for where he was but never did. Wanda says she kept asking and later on when social media came about, she searched on there. The prosecution then show screenshots of Wanda and Teresa's facebook profiles.
The prosecution ask what happened when Wanda reached out to her in 2017 on Facebook, Wanda said Teresa said she would give her a phone number for William but never did. Teresa ended up blocking Wanda.

Wanda says she always wanted a relationship with William and wanted her children to have a relationship with him. She says she would have helped with his care and that her mother, Margaret Hamilton, would have taken care of him too.

The defense states they have no questions so no cross-examination takes place.

lawandcrime.com

Georgia mother stands trial in cold case death of 6-year-old boy

Georgia woman Teresa Ann Black is facing murder charges for the 1999 death of her 6-year-old son, William DaShawn Hamilton.
lawandcrime.com lawandcrime.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 73 more.
Total: 4,114 (members: 74, guests: 4,040)

Online statistics

Members online
74
Guests online
4,040
Total visitors
4,114
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
593,642
Messages
17,990,261
Members
229,193
Latest member
imaguppynotashark
Back
Top