Women accused of giving Zzzquil to infant set for late March trial
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Two women, accused of murder in connection with the death of a 13-month-old boy, are scheduled for trial in late March.
Tasheaunna R. Williams, 26, and Nausicca Thomas, 27, both pleaded not guilty and had their cases set for a March 31 jury trial. That date will likely be continued given the gravity of the charges — first-degree murder and aggravated battery .
They are accused of giving Williams' son, Hezekiah, an 'excessive dose' of the sleep aid, ZzzQuil.
Hezekiah Williams also showed signs of severe malnourishment, poorly healing wounds, bruising and bleeding diaper rash, when he was brought to the hospital on Dec. 18, 2024. Shortly afterwards, he was in a coma and on a ventilator. The baby was on life support for several days before dying on Dec. 27, 2024.
Neither woman spoke much during the hearings, which lasted about three minutes. Both were clad a jumpsuit of a Peoria County Jail and both appeared in court by way of video conferencing from the jail.
They face at least 20 years and possibly up to 100 years behind bars. That's more than the normal range for murder due to the age of the child.
'A baby from a concentration camp': doctor says of baby allegedly given Zzzquil
Currently, they are at the jail after being arrested earlier this week. They had been initially charged with just aggravated battery and released from custody on pretrial release. However, after the new charges, they were arrested.
Peoria County prosecutors have asked a judge to hold them pending the outcome of their case. That hearing will take place Thursday, March 6.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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