JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Brianna Williams appeared virtually Tuesday for a case management hearing regarding charges connected to the brutal death of her daughter.
This was the first time Williams has been in court following the release of new documents in the case, which paint a dark picture of her daughter’s brief life.
During the hearing, the defense asked for more time to review discovery to which the state agreed, calling some of the latest evidence voluminous.
The judge passed the case to Aug. 25 for another pretrial hearing.
Police reports recently released in July show investigators discovered a closet in Williams’ Southside apartment reeking of bodily waste and human decomposition, as well as bloodstains on the carpet and walls that tested positive for Taylor Williams’ DNA.
Investigators believe Williams, a former Navy Petty Officer First Class at NAS Jax, kept her 5-year-old daughter in that closet when she was not at home.
Taylor’s remains were discovered in her mom’s hometown of Demopolis, Alabama, one week after she was reported missing. That same day Williams’ suicide attempt landed her in the hospital in critical condition and in police custody.
A police report reveals she ingested Arm and Hammer laundry detergent, which rendered her unconscious.
Williams is now facing charges of lying to police, tampering with evidence and child abuse. She has pleaded not guilty. She has not been charged in her daughter's death.
In order to file murder charges, the state must definitively be able to show the cause and manner of Taylor’s death.