Trinity Madison Poague, a 20‑year‑old former beauty queen from Georgia, broke down in tears as a judge pronounced her life‑sentence for killing her ex‑boyfriend’s 18‑month‑old son in January 2024. The sentencing came the same day a jury found her guilty of felony murder, aggravated battery and child cruelty in Sumter County Superior Court. Poague was earlier acquitted on the charge of malice murder.
The judge, W. James Sizemore Jr., delivered the news quietly, telling Poague, “The bottom line is you’re going to receive a sentence of life in prison.” He added that she would also face an additional 20 years of imprisonment, concurrent with the life term, just under an hour after the jury reached its verdict. Poague stared blankly as the words sank in.
The tragedy unfolded when Poague, then a sophomore at Georgia Southwestern State University, lured the toddler into her boyfriend Julian Williams’s dorm room while he was outside ordering pizza. She texted Williams that the child was not breathing, prompting him to rush back, find the little boy unresponsive, and drive him straight to the emergency department. Despite an urgent transfer to a children’s hospital in Atlanta, doctors failed to revive the baby, who was later pronounced dead.
Poague was arrested and charged a week after the infant’s death. In a brief trial, prosecutors presented evidence that her motive was rooted in resentment and a desire for a child of her own with Williams. Prosecutor Lewis Lamb told jurors that Poague wanted a baby “with Julian Williams,” but not the infant he had just taken into his care. Further testimony showed that, while at the hospital, Poague searched online for phrases such as “How do you get a brain bleed?” and “How can a depressed skull fracture go unnoticed?”
The medical examiner’s report contradicted Poague’s claims that the toddler was eating chips moments before the incident. Instead, it concluded that Romeo suffered severe blunt‑force trauma to his head and torso, rendering his brain “useless.” Dr. Michael Busman, the emergency room physician, explained that swelling and nasal fluid indicated a direct blow, not the injury Poague described.
Poague had won the 2023 Miss Donalsonville title and had later competed in the National Peanut Festival beauty pageant, although she did not place. Following her arrest for the child’s murder, she was stripped of her titles. The case has drawn attention to the disturbing intersection of beauty pageant fame and violent crime.
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