HOUSTON – The mother of a 8-year-old boy who was beaten to death by her partner has pleaded guilty.
Gloria Williams pleaded guilty to two charges of injury to a child in connection to the death of her son, Kendrick Lee.
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The case dates back to Oct. 24, 2021, when Lee’s oldest brother, who was 15 at the time, called 911 and told the dispatcher that his brother had been dead in their apartment for more than a year. When Harris County deputies got to the home at 3535 Green Crest, they found Kendrick’s three brother -- ages 15, 10 and 7 -- in horrid conditions and they found Kendrick’s decomposing body.
The boys told investigators and testified again in court that Williams partner, Brian Coulter, beat Kendrick to death and kept hitting and kicking him even when he was no longer moving. The 7-year-old said he stared at his older brother’s face while Coulter was kicking and hitting him and at some point during the beating, Kendrick stopped blinking.
Kendrick’s cause of death was homicidal violence. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said he suffered multiple blunt force injuries.
After that beating, the brothers were left alone in the apartment for months with Kendrick’s body decaying in another room.
Coulter was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder. The judge called the case one of the most horrific cases she’s ever heard.
Williams was accused of knowing about her children’s abuse at the hands of Coulter and failing to intervene. She’s also accused of failing to provide food and medical care to Kendrick before he was beaten to death.
Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 11.