In the spring of 2017, the life of 10-year-old Kentae Williams was brought to a tragic and violent end in Decatur, Georgia. The young boy, who was autistic and had special needs, died on April 28, 2017, just five months after being adopted. The man responsible for his death was his adoptive father, Leon Harvey Williams, who was 44 years old at the time.
The events of that day were a culmination of anger and violence, witnessed in part by neighbors who would later recount the disturbing prelude to the boy's death.
On that Friday, Leon Williams picked his son up from school, apparently upset over the child's behavior. Witnesses reported seeing Williams yelling at and threatening Kentae, at one point dragging the small boy by his neck around their apartment complex on Glen Hollow Drive. One neighbor overheard a chilling statement from Williams directed at his son: “You're gonna die tonight!” Inside their apartment, the abuse escalated. Williams beat the child with a belt before forcing him into a bathtub. There, he subjected Kentae to scalding hot water, which caused second-degree burns on his feet. When the boy complained about the water's temperature, Williams submerged his head under the water twice. It was only after Kentae lost consciousness that his adoptive father called for emergency help. The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, but it was too late; he died from his injuries.
The investigation into Kentae's death moved swiftly, and Leon Williams was arrested the following day. During his initial interviews with the DeKalb Police Department, he admitted to hitting the boy with a belt, causing the burns on his feet, and holding him underwater. However, he maintained that his son's death was an accident. This claim was rejected by investigators and prosecutors. In July 2017, a DeKalb County grand jury indicted Williams on seven counts, including malice murder, felony murder, three counts of first-degree cruelty to children, aggravated assault-family violence, and aggravated battery-family violence.
During the trial in July 2018, the prosecution presented a harrowing picture of the abuse Kentae suffered, using autopsy photos that showed his numerous burns and bruises. They played Williams' own recorded interview with detectives, in which he admitted to holding his son's head underwater for about 45 seconds at a time. The defense argued that Williams had specifically wanted to adopt a child with special needs because he thought he could help, and that the death was not intentional murder. The jury deliberated for only a couple of hours before finding Leon Williams guilty on all charges. In August 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison. Later, in September 2021, the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously upheld the murder conviction, affirming that there was sufficient evidence to conclude Williams acted with malicious intent.
