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

[Moonstrawbs]

First witness up for day two, the state calls Dr Meredith Tise, a forensic anthropologist
The prosecution has asked what Dr Meredith would begin with when examining remains. Dr Meredith states she would start with a skeletal inventory which provides insight on what bones are present and what is missing. A profile would be conducted including information on the remain's age, sex, ancestry and approximate height. This is to help narrow down identification and to work with police in missing people cases to identify remains. Dr Meredith lists the three different types of trauma they also identify; antemortem - trauma during life with evidence of healing, perimortem - trauma at or around the time of death with no evidence of healing, postmortem - typically caused by environmental factors such as animal interference and exposure to weather.

I wanted to include this as it taught me a few things and I thought it was interesting!

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Dr Meredith listed that bones were missing from William's remains; a bone from his neck, six ribs, the right collarbone, both shoulder blades, both kneecaps and small bones from his hands. When asked for the reason why these bones might be missing, Dr Meredith states that when remains are found on the surface they anticipate it is due to animal activity.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

The prosecution asks Dr Meredith what age did she estimate William's remains to be and she responds that she believed it was of an individual between the ages of four and seven years old. When asked how she came to this conclusion, Dr Meredith says she looks at growth plates throughout the body, mainly the fusion of the bones which indicates the stage of development along with dental examination to grasp an idea of age. Dr Meredith was able to estimate that the ancestry of the remains was most likely American Black by looking at the skull. She was not able to determine the sex of the individual or the height as remains of those who are pre-puberty age affects being able to do so.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Dr Meredith says she observed damage to William's remains, noting the missing bones but also damage to some of the facial bones.

Photographs of William's bones were shown whilst Dr Meredith was answering the prosecution's questions. The defendant Teresa Black appears to tense up her body, but no further emotion is shown.

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

 

[vls12345]

Father testifies his son 'was already gone, and I didn’t know' during trial of mom charged with boy's 1999 murder

Black is accused of killing six-year-old William Hamilton by giving him too much cold medicine in 1999, then discarding his body in a wooded area in DeKalb County.

www.11alive.com

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Dr Meredith says there were two missing nasal bones. The reason for this could be from trauma such as animal interference, carried by heavy rainfall or construction equipment. She is unable to determine for sure the reason for the missing nasal bones in this instance.

The prosecution goes back to the further damage to William's facial bones. Dr Meredith says it is possible it could be from physical trauma such as a punch to the face or being hit with a heavy weapon. She cannot say for certain what it may have been.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Quite an important note
The prosecution asks about signs of animal interference with remains. Dr Meredith says there are patterns observed on the bone surface to indicate so, something she did NOT observe when examining William's remains.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

The prosecution asks Dr Meredith if having an open wound/injury at the time of death can encourage animals to the scene, Dr Meredith explains how the presence of blood can increase the likelihood of animal interference.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Dr Meredith says that whilst it isn't impossible, it is quite uncommon for a child to have the same facial injuries in life that she has observed in William's remains. She states it would entail a huge amount of force to cause such an injury in the first place and that it would more likely be associated with abuse or a significant accident such as a car crash.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

The defense questions Dr Meredith Tise
Just a reminder that Dr Meredith is a forensic anthropologist and examined William's remains.

The defense presents a past report that Dr Meredith worked on alongside an advisor in 2013. Focusing on the missing nasal bones the defense is questioning what they deem a discrepancy of judgement in what Dr Meredith classes as post-mortem damage vs peri-mortem damage.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Next witness up, the state calls Lt Quigley, DeKalb County Police Department, former commander and Homicide detective
Lt Quigley says he was asked to review William's case file in 2022, due to a new lead to establish the likelihood of bringing the case to closure. The tip was the possible identification of the biological father of the unidentified body. The next step was to identify the mother through DNA. Lt Quigley states that to assist with this he took a deeper look at the case file and reached out to Phoenix Arizona police department to obtain a warrant for Teresa Black's DNA, which was granted.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Lt Quigley then states he and a colleague flew to Arizona in February 2022 to interview Teresa Black and execute the search warrant for her DNA. Teresa was brought in by a police unit and then interviewed which went on for over an hour.

The video of the interview is then played to the court.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

The below MSM features a small clip of the interview. I am starting to make notes of the interview now, I'll post them here as soon as I've finished.

Teresa Ann Black murder trial: Mother breaks down during interrogation, reveals son's death

Theresa Black wiped away tears in a DeKalb County courtroom Thursday as prosecutors played a video recording of her 2022 police interview.

www.fox5atlanta.com

 

[Ladyotm]

Thank you so much for following and sharing the road to justice for William. I've thought of him often, after hearing his story a few years ago. I will definitely be tuning in.
I hope he is among the angels, being loved, playing, laughing, and eating his favorite snack.

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Thank you so much for following and sharing the road to justice for William. I've thought of him often, after hearing his story a few years ago. I will definitely be tuning in.
I hope he is among the angels, being loved, playing, laughing, and eating his favorite snack.

Thank you for being here also! I hope so too, surrounded by books and trucks (I remember how Ava said he used to love those) and out in the sunshine.

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 1
Just to clarify, the interview is over an hour long. I am taking notes of the video footage shown in court which is then shown on a live feed. Due to this, the sound is not the best, just in case I miss something important. I intend to shorten my notes, leaving the most significant information and I will be commenting on Teresa’s demeanour throughout.

Before the interview begins, Teresa is sitting down and says “ya’ll want to tell me what the is going on” seemingly to an empty room. She appears fidgety and huffs numerous times.

LT Quigley enters and asks how she is and she says she isn’t sure. When asked where she is currently staying, I can’t determine most of her response apart from the fact she is living with her 18-year-old daughter. LT Quigley reassures Teresa to not worry and to try to take a deep breath, again Teresa appears fidgety. Because Teresa was brought into the police station in handcuffs, LT Quigley is now going through her Miranda Rights.

LT Quigley is asking Teresa about where she has previously lived. Teresa is running through multiple addresses until she mentions North Carolina. At this point in the interview, her phone has rang three times. Teresa says she lived in North Carolina for four and a half years. LT Quigley asks how many kids does she have, Teresa says “just the one”. Teresa is now appearing nervous, LT Quigley comments on this.

Teresa now says she DID have another child who was 6 at the time of living in North Carolina. She says she hasn’t had any contact with him in a long time. LT Quigley asks where he is and if is he with family members. Teresa says there are no family members and that they were in a homeless shelter where she met a lady who offered to take care of William. Teresa says the lady offered to help so Teresa could get herself together.

LT Quigley asks when the last time was she heard from this woman and Teresa says about a year after Teresa left. LT Quigley asks what the child’s name is and Teresa says William. When asked how old William is now, she says “I’m not sure”.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 2
LT Quigley asked if she had spoken to William since she last saw him, she says she has not. Teresa mentions William’s Dad and says he was in William’s life but she also hasn’t had contact with him either.

LT Quigley informs Teresa that he has gone through a timeline of her previous addresses before the interview and she had missed off Atlanta. His tone changes now to more confrontational as he asks Teresa to look him in the face and tell him that she believes she has a son out there who is 30-something years old. She says “I believe that? Yes. What do you mean do I believe that? I don’t understand”.

LT Quigley is asking if she can remember any details, names, addresses, or anything else about where William went. Teresa keeps saying she doesn’t know but the last she remembers is that she left him with a female at a homeless shelter. Teresa then says she might have been called Trisha.

LT Quigley asks Teresa if she remembers someone called Ava. (A little reminder, Ava is Teresa’s best friend from the time William went missing and who called with the tip which broke open the case after 23 years). Teresa says she doesn’t. LT Quigley tells Teresa to take her time to try to remember as it was a long time ago. LT Quigley then asks if Teresa remembers a conversation between herself and Ava where she asked where William was. Teresa now responds as she remembers who Ava is and says she does remember the conversation.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 3
A document is shown to Teresa with the details of the unidentified remains found in the woods. LT Quigley then tells Teresa that William was found dead in 1999. Teresa quickly says “No, no, what? He died? No”. LT Quigley starts explaining how at first William’s remains were unidentified and now through a tip, it has led them here. He asks Teresa to consent to her DNA to prove for definite that it is William. Teresa is silent and shows no sign of emotion. She does not respond to the request of her DNA.

LT Quigley states how he is not buying her story of leaving her child with some unknown female and before he can finish his sentence, Teresa interrupts and says “So you think I did something?”. LT Quigley says he believes William fell ill and something unfortunate happened which made Teresa scared and she panicked. He states again he does not believe she gave her child away to a stranger.

Teresa says she would never hurt him or leave him and questions how it can be William because the document states his name as “John Doe”. LT Quigley explains that this is just due to not having a known name for him at that time. Teresa now starts saying she is confused and repeats “oh my god” a few times.

Lt Quigley again says how he does not believe her story. Teresa seems frozen to the spot. He explains to her the years of work that has gone behind trying to identify the remains. He asks Teresa if she ever reported William missing and she says she did not.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 4
LT Quigley asks where William went to school and Teresa can’t give a name, when asked what grade he was in, she can’t provide information on that either. LT Quigley asks why she left North Carolina to move to Atlanta, Teresa says she lost her job and needed help from family. She says her money ran out quickly so she and William then ended up in a homeless shelter downtown. (It is worth noting that her rent at her home in North Carolina was four months in advance).

LT Quigley asks if Teresa has told others that she has another child or is it a secret. She said she does sometimes and if asked where he is she tells them he’s with family. (A different story to the one she told earlier about him being with a woman she met at a shelter).

Teresa is asked during her time in Arizona, did she ever live in an apartment or a house with a roommate, she said she never had her own place so stayed in shelters mostly. She says at one point, she met a woman in a club she worked at, Pleasers, who allowed her to stay at her place for a few months. Teresa does not provide a name or further details about this woman. At this point in the interview, it becomes clear that her right hand is cuffed to the table, it wasn’t fully noticeable before this.

LT Quigley reminds Teresa that now is the time to talk, it’s the only chance before the investigation continues on. He mentions the request for the DNA again and informs Teresa they do have a warrant for her DNA anyways. He says how the remains were found and had been there for around four months whilst Teresa went on as normal and has been living her life. He mentions her failure to report him missing and that he believes William became ill, died from illness and that Teresa made a poor decision in leaving him the way she did.

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

 

[Moonstrawbs]

Teresa Black's police interview February 15th 2022
Part 5
LT Quigley is trying to persuade Teresa to tell the truth. Teresa appears extremely emotional and is crying. She states that she did not hurt him. Teresa begins to talk more in detail and says about when William and herself were homeless. She says there was not a lot of food, sometimes eating out of dumpsters. She thought William was sick due to that. She says a few times "I didn't know what to do".

Teresa said when he was sick she got him some more food but it didn't seem to help. She said she tried to find somebody to help (doesn't expand on this). They were sleeping in parks and wooded areas. Teresa then talks about how one night they laid down and fell asleep, then in the morning she woke up to find him dead.

Teresa is crying more at this point and is saying she did not know what to do. She says again on how she thought food would help and wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him. Teresa says she did not expect him to die.

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