TYLER, Texas — A Tyler man previously charged with capital murder was sentenced to 50 years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to a lesser charge for using his hands and a belt to beat his 3-year-old daughter who later died.
Manuel Williams, 41, entered a guilty plea Wednesday morning to an injury to a child with intention to cause serious bodily injury in the 241st District Court. He was then sentenced to 50 years with 588 days of credit for time served, according to judicial records.
Manuel Williams was originally charged with injury to a child alongside the child’s mother Courtnie Williams, 31 on July 16, 2020 following the death of his daughter Kodie Williams at a Tyler hospital the day before. The charges were then upgraded to capital murder of a person under 10 years old.
Smith County District Attorney Jacob Putman said his office was able to reach an agreement in which Manuel Williams will spend most of his life or possibly the rest of it in prison. Before being eligible for parole, he will have to serve 25 years.
Through the plea deal, Manuel Williams gave up his right to a jury trial and appeal, Putman said.
"He’s accepted his sentence. There will be no appeal," Putman said. "This is his sentence and he can’t complain about it later."
In August, the Smith County District Attorney’s Office said through court filings that the office would seek the death penalty for Manuel Williams but not seek the death penalty for Courtnie Williams.
Based on court records, Courtnie Williams is still charged with capital murder and she remains in the Smith County Jail on a $1 million bond. No court or trial hearing dates are set at this time.
Putman said her case is still pending and will be set for trial at some point. The DA's office chose not to seek the death penalty for her based on facts and evidence.
According to Putman, proving to a jury that the death penalty is necessary for someone convicted of capital murder is difficult because it requires that the prosecution prove the person is a continuing threat to society.
"(The law) requires us for the death penalty to prove that someone’s going to be threat to society and that society is really a prison society," Putman said. "If someone kills a child, there are cases out there where judges have said killing a child isn’t evidence that they’d be a continuing threat because there are no children in prison. I think that’s a ridiculous law but it is the state of our law right now."
Putman said he hopes the legislature will change the law because "these people that kill children need to be eligible for the death penalty and it needs to be easier to prove those facts and circumstances."
The courtroom Wednesday morning was filled with Tyler police officers who worked hard to investigate the case, Putman said.
"It’s incredibly sad and tragic and while we wanted a more severe sentence for Mr. Williams because he deserves more," Putman said. "We would’ve liked a harsher punishment, but with 50 years he will most likely die in prison."
Kodie Williams was pronounced dead at the hospital on July 15, 2020, after emergency personnel found her unresponsive at the 500 block of North Glenwood Blvd. in Tyler and tried to revive her.
In the arrest affidavit, photos show visible trauma marks on the child’s torso, head, forehead, ears, neck, chest, arms, abdomen, back and legs. Police believe the beatings took place over a period of time as the injuries “were in all different stages of healing.”
On the night of her death, Kodie Williams was seen on a FaceTime video call facedown. It was apparent that she had defecated and vomited, according to the affidavit.
Courtnie and Manuel Williams would not provide an explanation or history for the injuries on their child. The Williamses said their child was under the care of Manuel Williams when the child became unresponsive, the police document stated.
The parents blamed the injuries on each other, with Courtnie Williams saying Manuel Williams grabbed the child’s arms forcefully, struck her with a belt and punched her and Manuel Williams saying he saw Courtnie Williams slap the child across the face, according to the affidavit.
RELATED: Arrest affidavit details injuries 3-year-old Tyler girl allegedly received at hands of parents
