In February 2024, the life of 27-year-old Teangela Tate was tragically cut short in a devastating act of violence that also claimed the life of her infant son. A Black woman from Jacksonville, Arkansas, Tate and her 2-month-old son, Noel Mott, were discovered deceased on the side of an Interstate 440 on-ramp in North Little Rock. The grim scene also included Tate's critically injured 18-month-old son, who was found alive but in dire condition.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical care.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led authorities to a person of interest, Willie Mott Jr., a 43-year-old man who was in a relationship with Tate and was the father of her infant son, Noel. Investigators determined that Tate had been fatally shot inside the Jacksonville home she shared with Mott. Following the shooting, her body and her children were moved to the location where they were later found by a commercial truck driver. The cause of Noel's death was not immediately released to the public.
Within a short period, law enforcement officials located and arrested Willie Mott Jr. in connection with the murders. He was subsequently charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of Teangela Tate and Noel Mott, and one count of attempted capital murder for the injuries sustained by Tate's surviving toddler. Mott's mother, 70-year-old Diane Mott, was also arrested and faced charges of hindering apprehension and tampering with physical evidence for her alleged role in assisting her son after the killings.
In September 2025, a Pulaski County jury convicted Willie Mott of capital murder and first-degree murder. The trial, which lasted three days, concluded with the jury finding him guilty after only a couple of hours of deliberation. For his crimes, Mott was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus an additional 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. The charges against his mother, Diane Mott, were later dropped.
