On January 14, 2026, 38-year-old Florida mom Kimberley Leonie Mills was sentenced to life in prison in Lake County after being found guilty of murdering her 10-year-old son, Xavier. The case was so shocking that even the investigators were left shocked.
While Mills was handed a life sentence, the story doesn’t end there. Reports suggest she was spared from the death penalty, thanks to a plea deal, which would require her to testify against her co-defendant and former boyfriend, Andre Dwayne Walker.
His case will be going to trial later in 2026. Prosecutors believe that her upcoming testimony can help save another person from being killed.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of child abuse & death.
Kimberley Mills, 38, of Tavares, Florida, has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading no contest to first-degree murder & aggravated child abuse in the death of her 10-year-old son, Xavier… pic.twitter.com/HIwwmbMUwG
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) January 15, 2026
Florida Circuit Judge Cary Rada found Mills guilty on charges including first-degree felony murder and aggravated child abuse. Her 37-year-old former partner, Walker, faces the same charges and is in custody without bond. Prosecutors still want the death penalty for him.
According to court records, in Xavier massively suffered during his final weeks. Mills and Walker took the child to AdventHealth Waterman after he suffered a heart attack on February 22, 2025.
Doctors there reportedly observed multiple bruises and burn marks across his body. Xavier was later airlifted to a children’s hospital in Orlando, Florida, where he was placed on life support for nearly a month.
The child passed away on March 21, 2025, and authorities knew for a fact that his death was the direct result of systematic abuse inside Mills’ home in Tavares. During the investigation, medical staff documented internal bleeding and signs of s—- abuse.
In due course, Xavier’s younger brother told police that when they were punished at home, it would include getting beaten up with copper rods and punched with boxing gloves. Worse yet, sometimes they were restrained with duct tape, and a 10-pound weight was dropped onto their stomachs.
Investigators also found out that neither neighbors nor school staff suspected any abuse. Mills was too methodical as she controlled what the boys wore, said, and even who they spoke to, so that their injuries could stay hidden.
⚖️FLORIDA vs Kimberley Mills⚖️SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON
For torture and murder of her 10-year-old son and will testify against boyfriend who faces the death penalty. https://t.co/Fyt8zEteXW #truecrime #KimberleyMills #childabuse pic.twitter.com/hNl9DqgFpm
— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) January 14, 2026
State Attorney Bill Gladson said Mills’ plea deal will ensure that she stays accountable. Meanwhile, Xavier’s father, Keniel Williams, whoi lives in Connecticut, addressed the court through tears, saying he had been having sleepless nights while struggling to cope life without his son.
On the other hand, Xavier’s aunt, Cameil Williams, who watched her nephew take his last breaths spoke publicly about how that moment tore her apart.
The family is supporting Mills’ plea deal, but believe she deserves the harshest punishment possible in Florida to spare Xavier’s younger brother from more trauma. The younger child is now in his father’s care.
