Mom left kids to live with her eight-year-old son’s corpse after boyfriend killed him

A Texas mother faces more than 50 years in prison after she stood by as her eight-year-old son was beaten to death by her boyfriend and left her children to live with the boy’s rotting corpse for more than a year.
Gloria Williams, 38, pleaded guilty to causing serious bodily injury by omission in connection to the death of her son, Kendrick Lee.
Her boyfriend, Brian Ward Coulter, 34 was found guilty of murder in April and was sentenced to life in prison.
In October 2021, Kendrick’s older brother, 15, informed police that he and his two younger siblings had been living with the boy’s decomposing body in a Houston apartment for more than a year.
When police arrived, they found the body and said the three brothers were living in horrific conditions.
The siblings told police that in November 2020, they witnessed Coulter beat Kendrick to death and continue to hit and kick him even when he was no longer moving.
In court, the youngest brother, seven, told the judge that he watched Kendrick’s eyes until he stopped blinking during the beating.
Coulter and Williams covered the boy’s body with a blanket and moved to another apartment, leaving the siblings behind to fend for themselves, authorities said.
“The death of Kendrick Lee was so tragic, and because of the fact that for so long there was no one to speak up for him, we felt like we had a duty to be his voice,” assistant district attorney Celeste Byrom said.
“It was important that we were able to secure justice for him.”
Kendrick’s cause of death was homicidal violence. An autopsy showed he had multiple blunt force injuries.
Williams was accused of knowing about her children’s abuse and failing to intervene. She was also charged with failing to provide food and medical care to Kendrick.
“No matter who you are, if you’re a human being, the facts of this case would shake you to the core. It’s a horrific act,” co-counsel Edward A. Appelbaum said.
Williams is due to be sentenced in November. She faces up to 55 years in prison.