Trinity Poague, a former Georgia-area beauty queen, is in court for allegedly killing her boyfriend’s toddler. In 2024, Poague was arrested after the little boy died after from serious bodily injuries that investigators claim could have only come from being beaten directly. The young woman maintains her innocence and said the little boy had merely fallen off the bed, pointing at his father for seemingly neglecting the toddler. However, evidence allegedly exists that suggests Poague was incredibly jealous of the boy. If she had her way, the little one would disappear, and she would one day have a baby of her own with her boyfriend.
Poague, who was 18 at the time of the incident, was arrested in January 2024 after 18-month-old Romeo Angeles, also known as Jaxton, was found unresponsive in a dorm room at Georgia Southwestern State University, WKRC reported. The now 20-year-old is on trial and pleaded not guilty to charges of malice murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, felony murder, and aggravated battery.
During the trial, which began December 2, 2025, the toddler, who was also called J.D., was in good health when his dad, Julian Williams, left him with Poague. But then she texted Williams, who was 23 at the time, telling him that the boy was not breathing. His father rushed him to the hospital, where they wanted to airlift him to a children’s hospital in Atlanta. Doctors, however, were never able to stabilize J.D., and he died.
Prosecutors claimed that Poague inflicted “blunt-force trauma to the head and torso” of J.D., which led to brain and organ damage that proved to be fatal, WALB reported. Family physician Michael Busman took the stand, telling the court the boy was not breathing when he arrived at the hospital. Staff were only able to detect a heartbeat after a tracheotomy and CPR.
Once they got the boy stable, doctors noticed swelling on his face, liquid coming out of his nose, and swelling on the back of his head. Busman believed the injuries came “from a direct blow,” and upon running further tests, they discovered he had a lacerated liver.
Busman testified that he didn’t believe J.D.’s injuries came from falling off the bed as Poague had claimed. He said the boy’s injuries had happened 30 to 60 minutes before he was taken to the hospital, per WALB. She allegedly told Busman she had “shaken” the boy before taking him to the hospital because he was “not acting correctly.”
The day of his death, Poague allegedly texted her roommate “I can’t stand being around J.D. anymore. He hates me and I hate him,” Law & Crime reported. She was jealous that Williams gave his son more attention than her.
“Trinity Poague resented this child,” prosecutor Lewis Lamb told the court, per Law & Crime. “She wanted to have a child or children with Julian Williams. But not that child.”
After her arrest, Poague was stripped of her Miss Donalsonville title, Early County News reported. The outlet also revealed she was released on bond and had to wear an ankle monitor.
“This feels like a slap in the face to me and my family,” Williams told WALB at the time. “All we want is justice for my son. Letting her out and being free is not right. She took an innocent 1-year-old’s life.”
