Inset: Tyrice Williams (Tulsa County Sheriff”s Office). Background: The apartment complex where Williams’ infant son was fatally injured in Tulsa, Okla. (Google Maps).
A father in Oklahoma is behind bars after his infant son was taken to a hospital with a “deformed skull” and subsequently died, police say.
Tyrice Antione Williams, 24, stands accused of one count of murder in the first degree by child abuse, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors also filed a so-called “application to accelerate,” which is the Sooner State equivalent of an allegation a defendant violated the terms of a previously deferred criminal sentence.
On Monday, officers arrived in response to a domestic violence call at the Eagle Pointe Apartments on East 71st Street in the Charter Oak neighborhood of south Tulsa, police said in a press release.
There, law enforcement discovered the 1-month-old baby boy suffering from cardiac arrest and in dire need of medical attention.
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The child was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he quickly succumbed to his injuries, according to the police department.
“[D]octors discovered he had a right femur fracture, right humerus fracture, left clavicle fracture, left broken arm, right pneumothorax, skull fracture, and a deformed skull,” the press release reads. “Doctors said all injuries appeared to be from trauma.”
When asked to account for what happened, the defendant allegedly told investigators he was pushed down the stairs by someone else at the apartment complex while holding the child, police claim.
But detectives believe the incident occurred inside the unit.
Police say surveillance footage and audio – by way of a doorbell camera near the apartment – disproved Williams’ narrative.
The person alleged to have pushed the defendant is seen leaving the residence in a video clip, along with the boy’s mother, police claim.
“Video from the doorbell camera showed Williams leaving the apartment with an empty liquor bottle,” the press release goes on. “The video also showed Williams later entering the apartment alone, then audio from the camera captured Williams talking to the infant, followed by seven loud thuds.”
Police said multiple neighbors and witnesses were interviewed during the investigation.
On Tuesday, Williams was arrested without incident after being charged by the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office.
The identity of the child has not been released as of this writing.
Tyrice Williams in an initial intake photo (Tulsa Police Department).
Law&Crime reached out to the Tulsa Police Department for additional details and information on this story, but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.
In February 2024, Williams was charged with one felony count of domestic assault and battery by strangulation, court records show. In March 2024, the charge was downgraded to misdemeanor domestic assault and battery and sentencing was deferred.
The defendant is currently being detained in the Tulsa County Jail without bond. Williams is slated to be arraigned on Friday.
