Man on probation for domestic violence conviction accused of fatally beating 2-year-old

"This child was beaten to death, essentially, or abused to the point that his body could no longer take it," Prosecutor Tanner Stellmon told Judge Michael Oths during the arraignment of 31-year-olf Aaron Jacoby Williams Tuesday afternoon.

Williams was arrested and charged with first degree murder on Monday, February 22 after a 2-year-old that had been left in his care died.

Officers from both the Boise and Garden City Police Departments were contacted at approximately 3:45 pm by a local health clinic reporting that a 2-year-old child had been brought in with "significant injuries" and was unconscious and not breathing.

The health clinic administered first aid while awaiting the arrival of Ada County Paramedics in order to transport him to Saint Luke's Regional Hospital in Boise. Emergency room staff there attempted to stabilize the boy, but he succumbed to his injuries.

After speaking with the pregnant mother of the boy, Williams' fiancée, it was determined that the child had been injured at a residence in Garden City and so that department took over the investigation. They requested and soon obtained a search warrant for the home.

At the residence, officers arrested Williams.

Also discovered at the residence, and a reported witness to the abuse against the 2-year-old, was Williams' 5-year-old child from another woman.

At the arraignment on Tuesday, arguing that Williams should either have bail set in the millions of dollars to simply be held in custody, Stellmon told Judge Oths that Williams was not only on parole for an earlier 2019 conviction for domestic violence at the time he is accused of fatally beating the boy, but also admitted to "losing his cool or losing his patience" with the child and therefore posed a risk to other children should he be released.

"There is no way to say it except that it is significant: The defendant must be contained, and was not contained by virtue of his probation status and domestic violence-related conviction," Stellmon said. "As a result of all these things, you want to take in totality the risk he poses to minors in the community when he becomes enraged or frustrated, as well as the damage that he visited upon the child in this case, a 2-year-old in his care."

Stellmon could not give all the details of all the injuries the boy had sustained as the medical examiners report indicating a cause of death has not been released yet.  He did state though, that "This trauma was extensive, and there were bruises about the child's body." He further disclosed that medical personnel had determined that the boy had fractured ribs, a "severed liver," indications of a head injury, and other internal damage.

Williams' attorney Eric Rolfsen countered stating that apart from the 2019 conviction- which he noted as being a misdemeanor- his client's criminal history was "extremely minor." He continued by arguing that the situation that happened with the 2-year-old was "situational" and a simple no-contact order from the Judge would suffice to ensure that his client couldn't harm anyone else once released.

Ultimately Jude Oths decided mostly with the prosecution and ordered that Williams be held in custody without bail. He ruled that the no contact order was rendered unnecessary by Williams remaining in jail.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 4.

Garden City Police are asking that anyone with information about this investigation contact Lieutenant Patterson at (208) 472-2950 or by contacting Crime Stoppers at (208) 343-COPS (2677).