Khaberni - American authorities charged Trinity Bowagh, a former beauty queen, with the murder of her partner’s 18-month-old son, driven by jealousy and her desire to have a child with him, as reported by local media.
Twenty-year-old Bowagh appeared in a Georgia court on Tuesday to face the charges related to the January 2024 murder of the child, Romeo Angels. If convicted of all charges, she could face life in prison without the possibility of release or the death penalty.
At the time of the incident, Bowagh was a sophomore at Georgia Southwestern State University. She was accused of killing the child inside her boyfriend Julian Williams's dorm room while he was out buying pizza. She texted him, saying his son was not breathing, which prompted him to rush back and immediately take him to the emergency department.
Despite the doctors' efforts, the child Romeo died, and a week later, Bowagh was charged with murder, aggravated assault, child cruelty, and she denied all the charges against her.
Prosecutor Louis Lamb told the jury, "She wanted to have a child or children with her lover Julian Williams," adding that Bowagh was jealous because Williams paid more attention to his son than to her and did not want to be the second wife. He referred to a text message Bowagh sent to a colleague before the incident, saying, "I can't stand being with this kid anymore. He hates me and I hate him."
The prosecution added that Bowagh had searched online for phrases like: "How does a brain bleed happen?" and "How can depressed skull fractures go unnoticed?" She also claimed that the child was eating potato chips before losing consciousness, which was refuted by the medical examination, revealing that he had not eaten anything before his death.
The medical examination showed the child had suffered a severe blow to the head and trunk, causing total brain damage, and emergency doctor Dr. Michael Buseman confirmed that Bowagh's story did not match the injuries, noting the swelling of the head and fluid leaking from the child's nose, indicating a "direct hard hit," according to the New York Post.
Bowagh had won the title of Miss Donalsonville 2023 and later participated in the National Peanut Festival without placing, after which she was stripped of all her titles, according to Early County News.
After her arrest, she was released on a $75,000 bail, a decision that angered Williams, who said, "All we want is justice for my son. Allowing her to go free is not right. She took the life of an innocent one-year-old child."
