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GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – A Gwinnett County jury found a Duluth man guilty of murder for inflicting fatal injuries on his 9-week-old daughter.
Khaliq Woods, 29, was convicted of two counts of felony murder, one count of aggravated battery, and one count of first-degree cruelty to children for the November 2019, death of baby Kamila Woods. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
“We grieve with the family of the deceased child Kamila Woods,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “This is a tragedy that an infant’s life was taken. We pray that the outcome of this trial will help Kamila’s family heal.”
On the morning of Nov. 30, 2019, then-23-year-old Khaliq Woods brought Kamila to Northside Duluth Medical Center. Kamila was deceased upon arrival. Kamila’s mother had dropped her off at Woods’ apartment the previous day. Woods told police that he had been playing with the infant that evening, tossing her in the air and catching her. He said on one of those catches, he felt the infant’s side go in, and he heard wheezing. He put her to bed around 10 p.m., that evening, and went back to check on her around 2 a.m.
The defendant told police that Kamila had not moved from her position, and she would not take a bottle or pacifier. Woods said he checked on her again around 6 a.m., then ordered a rideshare to take her to the hospital.
A search warrant of Woods’ phone revealed that around 2 a.m., he searched for “symptoms of broken ribs in children” on the internet no less than 9 times. The autopsy conducted on Kamila showed that she had suffered multiple rib fractures, a lacerated liver, and bleeding and swelling of the brain. Evidence introduced at trial showed that Kamila’s injuries were consistent with being violently squeezed and shaken. Jurors deliberated for 10 hours before returning the guilty verdicts.
Assistant District Attorney Laura Trejo and Managing Assistant District Attorney Chris Lewis prosecuted the case with assistance from DA’s Investigators Benjamin Lucas and Ryan Thurmond. Victim Witness Advocate Trina Bradford was instrumental in the case. The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Duluth Police Department, and the Gwinnett County Police were also invaluable to closing the case.