RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The Richmond mom found guilty in connection to the 2009 death of her two-year-old son will spend five and a half years in prison.
Ashley Williams was convicted of murder and felony child neglect in May.
During her trial, defense attorney Joe Morrissey painted Williams as a single, hardworking mom from Richmond’s East End who didn’t know any better. He said her son D’sean was misdiagnosed by medical professionals who did not adequately explain the seriousness of the illness to Williams.
The Commonwealth argued Williams made a conscious choice to do nothing to help her son. Prosecutors said the boy’s death was preventable and Williams could have taken D’sean to the doctor before he died. However they said Williams opted to do nothing.
"D’Sean Williams died May 30, 2009 at the age of two years, one month," wrote CBS 6 reporter Mark Holmberg in a story published following the Williams trial. "He weighed 14-and-a-half pounds. He looked like a skeleton with a thin covering of flesh."
CBS 6 reporter Catie Beck was in court today when Williams was sentenced. Watch her report in the video player above.
