BELFAST — The Stockton Springs woman convicted of murdering her three year old son in June 2021 was sentenced in Waldo County Superior Court Dec. 20.

Jessica A. Williams, also known by the surnames Trefethen and Johnson, will spend 47 years in prison for the violent crime after being found guilty by a jury of her peers Oct. 18. In addition to her prison sentence, Williams is also ordered to pay $9,189.27 in restitution. 

Maddox Williams died June 20, 2021, at Waldo County General Hospital after being taken there by his mother and maternal grandmother.

Despite being treated for trauma, medical staff were unable to save the his life. Shortly after, Williams and her mother left the hospital, after which police would be unable to locate Williams until Dec. 23, when she was arrested and charged with murder.

Maddox spent much of his young life with his father, until landing with Williams full time following his father's arrest. Williams resided with her two older children, and at times, the older children's father.

Jason Williams is also believed to have treated Maddox in an abusive manner. For this reason Maddox was left with his maternal grandmother when Jessica Williams had to work.

At the time of Maddox's death Jason was living in a smaller trailer on the same land as Williams and his two children, along with Maddox.

It is noted in court documents that: "Maddox came into a home where children were taught by someone to dislike him. Taught to mistreat him. Taught to ignore him and taught that he was not their little brother.”

Williams has five children in total, according to court documents.

An autopsy report for Maddox revealed injuries from the top of his head onto his feet. Williams used children's stick-on tattoos as a method to hide Maddox's extensive injuries - there were several of these tattoos present when he was brought to the emergency room. He was also missing two front teeth that medical examiners determined were knocked out with force.

According to court documents, the injury that caused Maddox's death was: "a blow to his abdomen the morning he passed away. The blow ruptured his internal organs, split his pancreas, broke vertebrae in his back, and caused massive internal bleeding."

In a victim impact statement provided by Maddox's paternal great-grandmother, Maddox was described as being loving and having a very good sense of humor. She relayed that she shared "happy things" with Maddox, and felt that Williams, "didn't like this, and took it out on Maddox."

As for a sentence for Williams, the paternal great-grandmother said, "she should never come out."

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com