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Kids Allegedly Locked In Room With Their Dead Brother's Remains While Their Mom Still Lived With Them
Gloria Y. Williams and her boyfriend Brian Coulter lived with the remains of Kendrick Lee for months before they moved to a separate apartment, leaving her three other kids behind, prosecutors say.
The Texas mother who was recently arrested after three of her children were found living with their dead brother’s remains allegedly abandoned them in an apartment months after the boy’s death.
Gloria Y. Williams, 35, made her first court appearance on Monday where new allegations about 8-year-old Kendrick Lee's murder were made, Houston outlet KTRK reports. Her boyfriend, 31-year-old Brian Coulter, is accused of beating the boy to death around Thanksgiving of 2020, according to the new details. Then, Williams and Coulter apparently lived in the Harris County apartment with Kendrick’s remains and Williams’ surviving kids — ages 15, 9, and 7 — until March, prosecutors said.
While all living together, the children alleged they were locked in a room with Kendrick's remains at times, KTRK reports. Then, Williams and Couler moved out to another home a few miles away but kept paying rent on the unit so the remains would not be discovered, according to prosecutors. The remains were ultimately found last week after Williams’ eldest son, 15, alerted authorities.
The mother has been charged with injury to a child, injury to a child by omission and tampering with a human corpse. Her bond was set in court on Monday at $900,000. Her defense attorney Neil Davis III wants to request a lower bond during an upcoming hearing on Friday, KHOU 11 reports.
"We gotta dig into the facts of this case and see what part she played in it. I mean, it’s been played out in the press, so far, that she’s just as guilty as anybody else, this is her boyfriend. We don’t know that yet," Davis said. "We need to start looking at the case and see what’s going on before we – everybody – finds her guilty. She’s not guilty yet.”
At a press conference held last week, Harris County Lt. Dennis Wilford described Williams as “manipulative” and “an abuser by omission.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors will be aiming for a higher bond for the mother.
“We just want to ensure the community’s safety,” Andrea Beall, a prosecutor for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, stated on Monday, according to KHOU 11. “This case has shocked the conscience of our community, as well as the nation and we need to make sure we find answers as to how a mother could allow this happen to her children and hold her accountable.”
The bond for Coulter, who has been charged with murder, has been set at $1 million.
The surviving children, many of which were reportedly found malnourished, are now in the care of Child Protective Services.
