A Georgia mother of three accused of killing two of her children "by placing them in an oven and turning it on" waived her first court appearance on Friday morning, local media in Atlanta reported.
Lamora Williams stands accused of myriad crimes over the October 2017 deaths of her sons, 1-year-old Ja'Karter Penn and 2-year-old Ke'Yaunte Penn – who police believe were killed roughly an hour apart.
In February 2018, Williams was indicted on four counts of felony murder, two counts of murder, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of concealing the death of another, and one count of making a false statement.
She has also been charged with two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree, one count of cruelty to children in the second degree, one additional count of aggravated assault, one count of obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and one count of battery resulting in substantial physical harm, according to Fulton County Jail records.
Williams Told 911 Dispatcher She Came Home to Find the Kids Dead with Burn Marks
On the night in question, the defendant called 911 and expressed fear that her sons were dead – and that she would go to jail. Williams allegedly told police she had left the children in the care of a relative about noon on Friday and found them dead about 11:30 that night, when she returned home with the caregiver gone.
"When I came in, the stove was laying on my son, on my youngest son's head, and my other son was laid out on the floor with his brains laid out on the floor," Williams reportedly told the 911 dispatcher, according to Atlanta-based Fox affiliate WAGA. "I don't know what to do. I just came home from work."
Williams Video Called Kids' Father, Told Friend 'I Can't Do it No More'
Williams also video called the kids' father, Jameel Penn, to show him the bodies of their dead children. Penn told local TV station WSB and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the video call. "It was like a real horror movie," he told WSB. "It was Friday the 13th."
Friend Neesa Smith told local news outlets that Williams called her on Friday night and allegedly said, "I can't do it no more." Smith said Williams allegedly told her the two boys were dead, to which Smith replied, "'Call the police, Mora. Just call the police.' "
In the arrest warrant, the Atlanta Police Department alleged that, sometime between midnight on Oct. 12, 2017, and 11 p.m. the next day, Williams "knowingly and intentionally" killed the two toddlers "by placing them in an oven and turning it on."
Her third child, 3-year-old Jameel Penn Jr., was uninjured. According to autopsy reports obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the boys' heads were stuck in a tipped-over oven.
Williams was in the courtroom on Friday morning but did not appear in front of the judge for a scheduled final plea hearing, according to WAGA and local NBC affiliate WXIA. Instead, lawyers for the state and defense reportedly agreed on a special setting for a trial date that a Fulton County Superior Court judge will announce in the future.
