A Florida mom accused of killing her 7-year-old daughter by stomping on her is now facing the death penalty, according to court filings from state prosecutors.
Naikishia L. Williams, 31, of Riviera Beach, was arrested on June 27 for the April death of her daughter, Nia Williams. The shocking case took a serious turn this week when prosecutors officially notified the Palm Beach County Circuit Court that they plan to seek the death penalty if Williams is convicted.
According to investigators, Williams stomped on Nia’s body so forcefully that the child suffered fatal internal injuries, according to The Palm Beach Post. The incident reportedly began after Nia spilled cereal on the floor. Medical personnel rushed Nia to the hospital, but she later died from her injuries. Authorities said the damage to her organs was consistent with being stomped on multiple times.
This case has sparked outrage due to the age of the victim and the brutality described in the arrest report. According to the police affidavit, Williams allegedly told investigators she “stomped her like an ant” during a fit of rage.
Williams was initially charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse. Now, if the prosecution proceeds and secures a conviction, she could become one of the rare women in Florida history to be sentenced to death.
⚠️ WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions of violence/gore/abuse
Naikishia L. Williams, 32, a Florida mother, has been charged with first-degree murder & aggravated child abuse after investigators determined her 7-year-old daughter, Nia Williams, died of horrific… pic.twitter.com/hiJ27iYadd
— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) July 1, 2025
Florida currently has just one woman on death row. According to state records, only 12 women have ever been sentenced to death in Florida, and only two have been executed. If Williams is ultimately sentenced to death, she would become the 13th woman to receive such a punishment in the state.
The case has drawn attention not just because of its brutality, but because of the rarity of the state pursuing capital punishment against a female defendant. Women make up just a fraction of death row inmates both in Florida and nationwide.
In Florida, a unanimous jury vote is required in the sentencing phase of a capital case in order to impose the death penalty. Prosecutors said in court documents that they believe the crime meets several key aggravating factors, including the age of the victim, the especially heinous nature of the act, and Williams’ position of authority as the child’s mother.
A Palm Beach County grand jury has indicted 32-year-old Naikishia Williams on a capital murder charge for the premeditated killing of her 7-year-old daughter, Nia Williams, who died on April 28, 2025. Prosecutors allege that Williams inflicted fatal blunt-force trauma to the… pic.twitter.com/y71H4lLoiM
— Criminally Obsessed (@CRMNLLYObsessed) July 3, 2025
The case remains ongoing, and Williams has not yet entered a plea. If convicted, the sentencing phase would determine whether she receives life in prison or a death sentence. For now, she remains behind bars as she awaits her day in court, while the state prepares for what could be one of Florida’s most closely watched death penalty cases in recent memory.
Currently, only one woman, Tina Brown, remains on Florida’s death row.
Brown was sentenced in 2012 for beating and setting fire to a woman in a fatal attack. The last woman executed in the state was Judy Buenoano, who died in the electric chair in 1998 after being convicted of multiple murders, including that of her disabled son.
