AMERICUS, GA – A former beauty pageant queen stood before a judge Tuesday, her future all but erased as a Sumter County jury found her guilty in the brutal killing of her boyfriend’s 18-month-old son—a crime that has rocked a quiet college town.
Trinity Poague, 20, convicted of felony murder and aggravated battery, exchanged her crown for handcuffs after prosecutors argued she dealt fatal blows to little Romeo “J.D.” Angeles inside her Georgia Southwestern State University dorm this January. A judge delivered her sentence: life in prison, with the possibility of parole only after 30 years.
Poague, a recent Miss Donalsonville, reportedly began her freshman year at the university full of promise. But beneath the pageant titles and carefully curated social media posts, prosecutors painted a picture of jealousy and simmering resentment towards her boyfriend Julian Williams’ young son. According to the state, Poague wanted a child of her own with Williams and struggled to bond with J.D.
On Jan. 14, 2024, Williams left his son in Poague’s care while he stepped out to pick up pizza. When he returned, Williams found J.D. vomiting and unresponsive. Frantic, he rushed the toddler to Phoebe Sumter Hospital, but it was too late—J.D. died shortly after.
Jurors heard descriptions of the child’s injuries that left many in the courtroom shaken: a fractured skull, severe abdominal trauma, and a fatal brain bleed. Through medical testimony, the prosecution established that the injuries were recent and likely inflicted within the hour before J.D. was hospitalized. Footage from earlier that day showed J.D. healthy and alert—evidence, prosecutors said, that only strengthened the state’s case.
Messages introduced as evidence revealed Poague’s troubling state of mind. In one, she reportedly told a roommate that she “can’t stand being around J.D. anymore. He hates me and I hate him.” Prosecutors contended that resentment boiled over in the minutes Williams was gone and ended in tragedy.
The defense argued that Poague was being scapegoated, calling the investigation rushed and incomplete. Attorney W.T. Gamble asserted that J.D.’s injuries could have been the result of a fall from a tall dorm bed, or possibly from an earlier incident involving his father the night before. Gamble highlighted apparent signs that the toddler may have been unwell for some time, suggesting alternative explanations for his death.
After days of emotional testimony and forensic evidence, the jury concluded that Poague’s actions led to J.D.’s death, acquitting her of malice murder but finding her responsible for the fatal injuries. The verdict sparked quiet sobs and shocked gasps among those who’d gathered to hear the judge’s ruling.
Poague’s rapid fall from grace has drawn renewed attention to her public persona. Just months before her arrest, she competed for the National Peanut Festival title, calling her pageant experience “a blessing.” After her conviction, pageant officials revoked her Miss Donalsonville crown.
Her social media posts from last year show a young woman reflecting on gratitude and faith as she looked ahead to college life. Instead, she now faces decades behind bars.
In the aftermath, Williams and his family expressed anguish that Poague had been released on bond following her arrest, calling it an affront to their quest for justice. For now, the campus community in Americus is left mourning a small boy whose life was cut short—and reflecting on the harrowing chain of decisions that led to tragedy.