Trinity Poague, Reigning Miss Donalsonville (GA) Facing Murder Charges in the Death of a Young Child - 19 Jan 2024

[turaj]

Wow, that sweet little baby was really the spitting image of his mother! I can't imagine how she must be feeling

why was her son not with her?

 

[turaj]

Poor child never had a chance. Being tossed around from person to person and trying to sleep in a college dorm room? Jimmy Carter's people need to vet these students better.

 

[sasha17]

why was her son not with her?

She left the baby with his dad (Julian) when the baby was three months old. She went to Mexico. At some point, she returned to where she lived in Florida but wanted the baby to stay with Julian full time after that. According to Julian, the mom only saw the baby 2-3 times after her return from Mexico for a few hours each time.

 

[Bounceycat]

Jimmy Carter's people need to vet these students better.

I don't understand what this means, other than Jimmy Carter being from GA. Help?

 

[sasha17]

I don't understand what this means, other than Jimmy Carter being from GA. Help?

Trinity (and one of the friends who was a witness for the defense) received a scholarship from the President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program to attend college. According to the college website, students receive $2,000 a year and must participate in activities such as taking a leadership course, doing community service, and being part of campus organizations. President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program

 

[Bounceycat]

Trinity (and one of the friends who was a witness for the defense) received a scholarship from the President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program to attend college. According to the college website, students receive $2,000 a year and must participate in activities such as taking a leadership course, doing community service, and being part of campus organizations. President Jimmy Carter Leadership Program

Ah, thank you for explaining that!

 

[killarney rose]

I wonder if the JC scholarship was a part of her pageant prize?

 

[sasha17]

I wonder if the JC scholarship was a part of her pageant prize?

It doesn't appear so. The application process is outlined here, and it doesn't include pageants: Apply to PJCLP

 

[arielilane]

DAILY TRIAL UPDATES​

DAY 4 – 12/5/25​

• LIVESTREAM: GA v. Trinity Madison Poague – Day 4 | Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial

DAY 3 – 12/4/25​

• LIVESTREAM: GA v. Trinity Madison Poague – Day 3 | Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial
• Both sides rested their case.
• S.A. Samantha Fort, GBI, testified about text messages from Poague to Williams and internet search terms on Poague’s device.
• Two witnesses testified they had no issues when Poague babysat their children in the past.
• Two GSW students and former dormmates of Poague testified they heard the toddler crying consistently when with Poague.

DAY 2 – 12/3/25​

• LIVESTREAM: GA v. Trinity Madison Poague – Day 2 | Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial
• The state briefly recalled J.D.’s father, Julian “Jay” Williams, so jurors could see the jacket he wore as he rushed his son to the hospital. Williams identified a stain on the sleeve as his son’s vomit and said he has never washed the jacket because “it’s the last thing I got to remember of him.”
• Emergency room doctor Michael Busman told jurors 18-month-old J.D. arrived at the Sumter ER pulseless and not breathing, with signs of a skull fracture and a liver laceration on imaging. Busman said head trauma and bleeding in the brain killed the child, not any “odd problem” or other underlying condition.
  • WATCH: Doctor: Toddler ‘Completely Unresponsive’ at Emergency Room
  • Busman testified that with a skull fracture and brain bleed of that size, major symptoms would appear within minutes, not the next day. He said it was “highly unlikely” J.D. could have been injured the night before and still be acting normally on Sunday morning.
  • Busman also described chart notes that captured initial accounts provided by Poague and Williams to hospital staff. One entry attributed to Poague said J.D. was “not acting right” and that she might have shaken him a little to get a response. A later nursing note recorded Poague saying J.D. had been eating chips and drinking Mountain Dew, started “not acting right,” got weak and would not respond even when she squeezed his cheeks and tapped his face. A separate note reflected Williams telling staff the child had fallen about five minutes before arrival.
• ER doctor Jill Olek took over care from Busman and told jurors the baby “died as a result of massive head trauma.” Olek said there was a “zero percent” chance CPR caused the liver tear, noting the injury was on the right lobe, away from where compressions are performed. Olek opined that the injury’s severity fit high-force blunt trauma, not a short fall.
• GBI medical examiner Dr. Anthony Clark described a complex fracture at the base of J.D.’s skull, bleeding on the brain, and a crushed right lobe of the liver and adrenal gland. He told jurors those injuries required very high, focused force and said the head trauma, in his opinion, would have killed J.D. within “seconds to minutes” after the impact. Clark said the overall injury pattern was not consistent with a simple household fall from a bed or chair.
• Suitemate Parris Purmort told jurors she saw J.D. in the shared common area around 10 p.m. Saturday. Purmort said he was awake and acting normal for him, and she did not see obvious bruising on his face or any other signs of injury.
  • Through Purmort, the state introduced earlier messages where Poague vented about J.D. and the strain of the relationship, including an August 2023 message where Poague said she felt anger toward J.D., “like I want to punch him, lmfao omg that sounds so bad.” Purmort also recalled Poague saying in person that she sometimes got so angry she wished she could “run him over” with her car. Purmort said she didn’t take those statements seriously, figuring Poague was just venting during a volatile relationship.
  • Purmort then walked jurors through messages from the weekend of the incident that showed Poague frustrated about being left with J.D. and resenting the way the toddler affected her relationship with Williams. After J.D. was rushed to the hospital, Poague texted Purmort, “I didn’t do it Parris, I would never lay my hands on any kid.”

DAY 1 – 12/2/25​

• LIVESTREAM: GA v. Trinity Madison Poague – Day 1 | Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial
• State’s opening statement delivered by District Attorney Lewis R. “Bud” Lamb:
  • WATCH: Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial: ‘Trinity Poague Resented This Child’
  • Romeo Angeles (also referred to as Jaxton Dru “JD” Angeles) was born June 25, 2022, in Tallahassee
  • The child lived with Julian Williams and his sister from 3-4 months old
  • Williams began a relationship with defendant Trinity Poague, who started attending Georgia Southwestern University in Americus in August 2023
  • Lamb argued Poague resented the child and wanted her own child with Williams, not to be in a stepmother role
  • Lamb cited various text messages Poague sent to her roommate saying she wanted to punch the child and that they hated each other
  • On Jan. 13, 2024, Williams brought Angeles to Americus to stay with Poague at her dorm
  • Poague texted her roommate later that night asking to sleep in her room for a “mental break”
  • Angeles allegedly fell off the bed that night, but appeared fine, with Poague taking videos showing no injuries
  • On Jan. 14, Angeles woke up healthy, ate Fritos and drank Mountain Dew
  • Williams left for 35-36 minutes to get pizza; when he returned, Poague called saying child wasn’t breathing
  • Angeles had fresh bruising on face, forehead, neck, and cheeks when brought to ER and had a fractured occipital bone, brain bleeding, and massive liver laceration
  • Lamb argued medical experts will testify injuries occurred minutes before ER arrival, during time child was alone with Poague
  • Angeles died approximately 3 hours after arriving at hospital
• Defense’s opening statement delivered by W.T. “Tim” Gamble III:
  • WATCH: Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial: Trinity ‘Fed, Took Care of the Child’
  • Argued case is based on suspicion without evidence; Poague is second victim, accused of crime she didn’t commit
  • Poague was 18-year-old honor student at GSW studying nursing with straight A’s in the first semester
  • Argued Williams was a controlling 22-year-old boyfriend, who demanded social media passwords and monitored her activities
  • Williams failed to establish legal paternity and didn’t take child to routine doctor appointments
  • Poague had extensive babysitting experience and cared for Angeles when Williams brought him to visit
  • Gamble argued Poague was with Angeles for a limited time from Saturday 6 PM to Sunday noon, mostly with Williams present, and the child was refusing to eat or drink
  • Gamble argued that at the hospital, Williams told various conflicting stories about what happened to Angeles
  • Gamble argued the investigation was flawed – GBI and Americus PD found no physical evidence at crime scene
  • Gamble argued investigators threw away diaper with apparent blood in fecal matter before testing
  • Argued Poague and Williams showered together before he left for pizza; she got out 5 minutes after him and he was holding Angeles, who was crying
  • Poague noticed child in distress when Williams returned and couldn’t keep head up
• Following opening statements, multiple law enforcement personnel testified about responding to the call at the ER and securing Poague’s dorm room. The jury saw clips of Poague, Williams and Angeles coming and going from the dorm in the time around the alleged incident.

GA v. Trinity Poague: Pageant Queen Child Murder Trial

UPDATE: Trinity Poague is facing life in prison if convicted of killing her boyfriend's toddler son, who was found unresponsive in her college dorm room.

www.courttv.com

 

[Leilei]

Rebuttal is fiery!

 

[sasha17]

The closing arguments are over, the judge has read the jury instructions, and the jury has left to begin deliberations. And now we wait.

 

[DixieGal86]

Rebuttal is fiery!

The closing arguments are over, the judge has read the jury instructions, and the jury has left to begin deliberations. And now we wait.

Ugh...the wait is the worst part. Definitely gonna be interesting what they say. I know what my decision would be. I also know that so many people are different.

 

[Leilei]

Ugh...the wait is the worst part. Definitely gonna be interesting what they say. I know what my decision would be. I also know that so many people are different.

The text messages may do her in.
If not, I hope that she never dates another single father. That's some deadly jealousy.
IMO.

 

[DixieGal86]

The text messages may do her in.
If not, I hope that she never dates another single father. That's some deadly jealousy.
IMO.

Oh I agree. I'm hoping between the messages and the medical examiner testimony that it will be enough.

 

[gucci2times]

That closing rebuttal was too long for a Friday afternoon. Hope jury comes back with a quick guilty before the weekend!

 

[arielilane]

@cathyrusson

BREAKING: The jury began deliberations at 1:25 pm ET today in GA v. Trinity Poague.

1:40 PM · Dec 5, 2025

 

[Inthedetails]

dbm

 

[Leilei]

Jury question... and I missed what it was.
Anyone?
IMO.

ETA: Thanks for the X links

 

[Megnut]

Jury question... and I missed what it was.
Anyone?
IMO.

ETA: Thanks for the X links

How to deal with multiple charges.

 

[Megnut]

They want to know if the multiple charges break down to one for the head, one for the liver.

Judge cannot really answer the question. Asks them to refer to the indictment and return to the deliberation room.