Florida mom gets life sentence for killing 10-year-old son by inflicting ‘unimaginable abuse’; shocking details inside

A Florida mother was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her son, 10-year-old Xavier Williams. She inflicted what police described as "unimaginable abuse" on her late son. Kimberley Leonie Mills, 38, was found guilty for the murder of her son in a Lake County, Fla., courtroom, the office of State Attorney Bill Gladson announced in a news release on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney, said that Mills accepted a plea deal and will testify against her co-defendant and boyfriend at the time of Williams’ murder, 37-year-old Andre Dwayne Walker, as part of the agreement. Walker is set to stand trial later this year, according to the news release. “Our focus has always been justice for this child and accountability for those responsible,” said Gladson.

Mills and Walker charged with ‘first-degree murder’

Both Mills and Walker have been in custody without bond since they were indicted in April 2025 on charges including “first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.” Williams died a month after he was hospitalized in “cardiac arrest, covered in bruises and burn marks,” according to Gladson’s office.

“On February 22, 2025, the victim was brought to AdventHealth Waterman in cardiac arrest, covered in bruises and burn marks. He was later airlifted to a children’s hospital in Orlando, where he died on March 21, 2025, after nearly a month on life support. The victim’s death was ruled the direct result of systematic abuse committed by Mills and her paramour, Walker, while at Mills’ home in Tavares, Florida,” the news release said.

"With profound sorrow, the Tavares Police Department announces the tragic passing of a 10-year-old boy, a victim of unimaginable abuse and neglect at the hands of those who were meant to care for him," police were quoted as saying to PEOPLE while announcing the 10-year-old’s death in 2025.

"This innocent child's life was marked by unspeakable suffering, and his loss has deeply shaken our community and everyone involved in this case,” police further stated. Prior to his death, Tavares police reported that Mills and Walker had "beaten and tortured" him, according to PEOPLE.

At the time, his younger brother said that he and his sibling had experienced "unspeakable torment," local NBC affiliate WFLA reported, citing authorities.

Police found evidence during search

While searching the home following Williams’ death, police discovered evidence such as a six-foot ladder, a 10-pound weight, and duct tape that were all used to restrain the child while weights were intentionally dropped onto his exposed stomach, WFLA reported.

The 10-year-old’s death “was ruled the direct result of systematic abuse committed by Mills and her paramour, Walker” at Mills’ Tavares, Fla., home, according to the news release from Gladson’s office.