Houston mother receives lengthy sentence for son's death

A Houston mother has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for her involvement in the death of her 8-year-old son, Kendrick Lee, in 2020. The sentence was announced by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

“We expect parents to protect their children, not hurt them, because children really are our most vulnerable victims,” Ogg stated. “This case shocks the conscience not just because a child lost his life, but because of his parents’ complete and total disregard for human life.”

Gloria Yvette Williams, aged 38, admitted guilt to injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony. She also pled guilty to harming another child who survived.

Williams’s husband, Brian Coulter, aged 34, received a life sentence without parole in April after being convicted of capital murder for killing his stepson.

The case attracted significant media attention following the couple's arrest in 2021. They had moved residences but left Kendrick's body decomposing at their previous apartment where Williams’s other young children continued living.

Kendrick's remains were found under a blue blanket after over a year when one sibling contacted Houston police in October 2021. During Coulter’s trial, two siblings testified witnessing him repeatedly beating Kendrick before his death in late 2020.

Assistant District Attorneys Celeste Byrom and Edward A. Appelbaum prosecuted both cases. Byrom expressed gratitude towards the judge for fair evaluation and justice served: “It was an honor to speak up for the children who for so long did not have a voice.” Appelbaum agreed on the shocking nature of the facts presented.

Appelbaum noted that Williams’s plea agreement included sparing her children from testifying again about the incident. “By pleading guilty and waiving the right to a jury trial, the defendant finally acted like a protective mother,” he said. “For one day of her children’s lives, she was a good mother.”

Initially facing life imprisonment, Williams accepted a plea deal capping her sentence at 55 years; she received 50 years after judicial review. She must serve at least half before becoming eligible for parole.