Florida Mom Sentenced to Life for Murder of 10-Year-Old Son, Who Suffered 'Unimaginable Abuse and Neglect' By Bailey Richards

A Florida mom will spend the rest of her life behind bars for murder after inflicting what police described as “unimaginable abuse” on her late son.

Kimberley Leonie Mills, 38, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her son, 10-year-old Xavier Williams, in a Lake County, Fla., courtroom, the office of State Attorney Bill Gladson announced in a news release on Wednesday, Jan. 14.

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, Gladson said. Walker is set to stand trial later this year.

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 the previous month, on March 21, 2025, “after nearly a month on life support,” Gladson’s office 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 stated while announcing the 10-year-old’s death last year. “This innocent child’s life was marked by unspeakable suffering, and his loss has deeply shaken our community and everyone involved in this case.”

Williams died a month after he was hospitalized in “cardiac arrest, covered in bruises and burn marks,” per Gladson’s office.

He had been “beaten and tortured” by Mills and Walker, Tavares police said prior to his death. At the time, his younger brother also told authorities that he and his sibling had experienced “unspeakable torment,” according to local NBC affiliate WFLA.

In the wake of Williams’ death, WFLA reported that police had previously uncovered items including duct tape, a 6-ft. ladder and a 10-lb. weight, which had allegedly been used to restrain and inflict harm on the child.

Weights had allegedly been dropped on the boy’s exposed stomach, the outlet reported, citing police. 

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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.

In a statement provided in the same release, Tavares Police Chief Sarah Coursey called the young boy’s death “one of the most heartbreaking crimes our community has ever faced.”

“While no outcome can truly bring justice for such a loss, the plea agreement ensures that Kimberley Mills will spend the rest of her life in prison and that her cooperation will help hold Andre Walker fully accountable for his heinous acts,” Coursey said in part.

Williams’ father, as well as the child’s extended family, “expressed their support” for Mills’ plea agreement, as well as the “resolution reached regarding Mills’ acknowledged involvement in this case,” Gladson’s office said.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.