Williams sentenced to life in prison for death of daughter Taylor

Brianna Shontae Williams, who pled guilty in March to second-degree murder of her daughter Taylor Rose, received a life sentence for her crime in a Jacksonville, Fla., courtroom Tuesday.

A former chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Williams first reported her five-year-old daughter was missing in November 2019, but she stopped cooperating with detectives after being questioned about inconsistencies in her story. Williams attempted to kill herself after being charged in the case.

Taylor’s body was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area between Demopolis and Linden, Williams’ hometown.

The massive search operation for Taylor involved local and state agencies from Alabama and Florida. Included were the Demopolis Police and Fire departments, Linden Police Department, Marengo County Sheriff’s Office, ALEA, SBI, 17th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force and DA’s office, Alabama Attorney General’s office, FBI agents from Mobile, Birmingham and Jacksonville, Fla., and members of multiple units with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Fire and Rescue and Florida state attorney.

Taylor had last been seen at day care in April 2019, long before she was reported missing.

Circuit Court Judge Kevin Blazs called the murder “a tragedy all around.” He told Williams he had spent the weekend pouring over the evidence, including her “unstable” family life. Taylor’s probable cause of death was starvation, he said.