A Palmdale woman and her boyfriend pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and other charges stemming from the beating death of her 2-year-old son.
Rosie Lee Wilson, 21, and Brandon Jerel Williams, 25, were charged with murder and assault on a child causing death after the boy died Oct. 5, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
The two had already been charged with torture in connection with the boy’s beating.
The toddler allegedly suffered great bodily injury at the hands of Williams between June and August of last year, Deputy District Attorney Theodore Swanson said.
The boy — who was 22 months old at the time and lived with his mother and her boyfriend — remained hospitalized in critical condition for 41 days before his Oct. 5 death.
Wilson and Williams were arrested last August by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies and have remained in jail since then. They are due back in a Lancaster courtroom Feb. 5 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.
If convicted as charged, Wilson and Williams face maximum life prison sentences, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
— City News Service