Like he was nothing’: Dad stressed out about debts and lack of work hurled wailing 4-month-old onto the couch and murdered him.

Alfred Williams, a 21-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas, was convicted this week in Tarrant County of felony murder in the 2023 death of his 4-month-old son, Azari Williams. The incident stemmed from Williams squeezing and then throwing the crying infant into a couch arm, causing fatal blunt force injuries including rib fractures, brain bleeding, and a spinal fracture.​

Case Details

The abuse occurred in February 2023 at an apartment on Southwest Loop 820, where Williams was alone with Azari and the baby’s 11-year-old half-brother. Williams admitted to police he yelled at the crying baby, squeezed him hard enough to break ribs, and flung him like “nothing,” later citing unemployment stress and his partner’s long hospital shifts. The child died at Cook Children’s Hospital with no prior Child Protective Services history.

Trial Outcome

Jurors rejected intentional murder but found Williams committed felony injury to a child, leading to death under felony murder rules. Defense pushed for manslaughter, but the jury convicted on the higher charge in the 297th District Court before Senior Judge Everett Young. Sentencing by the same jury is pending, with possible 5 years to life in prison.​

Key Evidence

• The half-brother heard cries, shouting, then silence from his room.​
• Pathologists linked injuries to squeezing, throwing, and likely a head impact on the wall.​
• Williams had nonviolent stress outlets like smoking cigars or store walks but snapped that day.​

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