Trial of Former Beauty Queen in Toddler’s Death
A former beauty queen from Georgia has been charged with murdering her boyfriend’s young son during a moment of jealousy, as prosecutors allege she wanted to start a family of her own with her partner.
Trinity Pogue, 20, faced the Sumter County Superior Court on Tuesday for her trial regarding the death of 18-month-old Romeo Angeles, which occurred in January 2024.
According to reports, Pogue was a student at Georgia Southwestern State University at the time of the incident. It’s alleged that she killed the child in her dorm room while her boyfriend, Julian Williams, was out picking up pizza.
Upon realizing the toddler wasn’t breathing, she texted Williams and called him back, leading to a frantic rush to the emergency room. Despite the doctors’ efforts, Romeo was pronounced dead before he could be transferred to Children’s Hospital in Atlanta.
About a week later, Pogue faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, and child abuse. She has pleaded not guilty to these allegations.
Prosecutors have argued that Pogue’s actions stemmed from a fit of jealousy, insisting she wanted a child with Williams but resented his son. “She wanted to have a child with Julian Williams. But that kid is different,” Prosecutor Lewis Lam told the jury.
Claims were made that Pogue felt overshadowed by the attention Williams gave to his son and that she had no desire to assume the stepmother role.
Interestingly, hours before the tragic event, Pogue reportedly sent a text expressing disdain for children, stating, “I can’t stand being around JD anymore. He hates me and I hate him,” according to Lam.
The coroner, Mathis Wright, noted discrepancies with the child’s identification; at the time, he was listed as Romeo Angeles, yet Williams referred to him as Jaxton Drew at the hospital.
While at the hospital, Pogue allegedly searched for terms related to brain injuries and unnoticed fractures.
Diverging accounts emerged regarding the circumstances leading to Romeo’s unresponsiveness. Pogue initially claimed he had been eating potato chips shortly before the incident, but medical examinations revealed no food had been ingested beforehand. Instead, it was determined that he had suffered blunt force trauma, rendering his brain “unusable.”
Pogue later updated her story, saying the child had fallen out of bed. However, the attending physician refuted this, indicating that the nature of the injuries suggested a direct blow.
If found guilty of all charges, Pogue could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole or even facing the death penalty.
Pogue gained the title of Miss Donalsonville in 2023 and later participated in the National Peanut Festival pageant. However, her title was revoked after her arrest. Following her arrest, she was released on $75,000 bail, a decision that angered Williams, who expressed his desire for justice for his son.
“This feels like a slap in the face to me and my family,” Williams stated. “All we want is justice for our son. It’s not right to let her go out and be free. She took the life of an innocent one-year-old.”
