Insets, from left: Less Thompson, Jr., Deshante LaShawn Beard and Jacob Williams. Background: The 200 block of Belmont Farms Drive in Ellenwood, Georgia, where Jacob was murdered (Henry County Police Department).
A couple from Georgia is headed to prison after they forced a 6-year-old boy to complete arduous exercises in the summer heat, causing his death, all because he wet the bed.
Less Thompson, Jr., 33, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday after a jury in October convicted him of felony murder, aggravated assault and first-degree child cruelty, the Henry County District Attorney”s Office said. Deshante LaShawn Beard, 37, was sentenced to 30 years, 25 of which she will serve in prison, after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
The victim, Jacob Williams, was Beard’s son. Thompson was Beard’s boyfriend. Prosecutors said in the days leading up to June 13, 2021, Thompson and Beard beat the boy with a belt for wetting the bed at their home in the 200 block of Belmont Farms Drive in Ellenwood, roughly 15 miles southeast of Atlanta. That morning, the boy wet the bed again, which apparently set his mom and her boyfriend into a rage.
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The suspects forced Jacob to run laps, do pushups and other exercises. When Jacob complained of exhaustion, his mother and Thompson beat him, which caused him to collapse. Beard and Thompson waited another four hours before calling 911.
Paramedics rushed the boy to the hospital, but by then it was too late. The boy’s body went into shock, which caused brain swelling and eventual death. Local NBC affiliate WXIA reported that Jacob had bruises on 80% of his body, along with a broken arm and severe head trauma.
A neighbor described the horrific scene of Thompson screaming while holding the lifeless boy in his arms.
“The baby was lifeless then and had blood coming out of his mouth,” she said.
District Attorney Darius Pattillo called the incident a “terrible crime.”
“A child’s life was taken by the very people who were responsible for caring for him and keeping him safe,” he said in a statement. “Now that the case is closed, we hope this resolution brings some measure of peace to those who loved him. Our hearts go out to all who have been affected by this.”
