ROCK HILL, S.C. — Two weeks after a Rock Hill mother and father were charged with neglecting their 2-year-old son, who died, they were charged with killing him in front of his siblings.
Bruce Williams and Lakeisha Jackson were in court Monday afternoon to face the new charges after autopsy results showed severe trauma to their child, Miguel Williams.
Rock Hill police investigators said the parents were using drugs at the Royal Regency Inn on Riverview Road on April 24 when Williams beat his child to death while a 3-year-old and 5-year-old were in the room.
Williams had taken unprescribed Xanax and Jackson had been using marijuana, according to police.
Williams is charged with murder and homicide by child abuse. Arrest warrants said he beat his son in the face, head, and body. At first, Williams claimed the toddler drowned in the motel bathtub.
RELATED: Mother, father charged after 2-year-old boy dies in Rock Hill
Detective Kris Quate described the child's injuries in court Monday.
"As I stand here before you today, I would describe the victim's injuries as catastrophic," he said.
Police said Jackson witnessed the crime but didn't call 911 because she was afraid of the Department of Social Services getting involved in the investigation.
"Ms. Jackson made no effort to protect or save her 2-year-old child's life," Quate said.
Instead, police said the couple waited two hours then took the child to a friend's house on Williams Street in Rock Hill instead of the hospital. That friend made the 911 call but it was too late.
Williams and Jackson were quickly denied bond on Monday.
They each also face two additional charges of unlawful conduct toward a child for allegedly allowing the crime to happen in front of their two older children. They could face 20 years to life in prison if convicted of homicide by child abuse.
During her last court appearance, Jackson told the judge that she's pregnant again by Williams.
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