Former Georgia Pageant Queen Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing Boyfriend’s Toddler in College Dorm

AMERICUS, Ga. — A former Georgia beauty queen has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal killing of her boyfriend’s 18-month-old son, a crime prosecutors say was driven by jealousy and a disturbing desire to have a child of her own. Trinity Poague, who was 18 at the time of the attack, was found guilty on Friday, Dec. 5, of five counts, including two counts of felony murder, in the death of 18-month-old Romeo Angeles, also known as Jaxton Drew. The verdict came nearly a year after the toddler was found unresponsive in Poague’s dorm room at Georgia Southwestern State University.

At sentencing, Judge W. James Sizemore Jr. of the Southwestern Judicial Circuit delivered a sober and direct statement, saying little beyond what was required. “You’re going to receive a sentence of life in prison, which is the appropriate sentence for the conduct that you have been convicted of,” the judge said.

Poague was also sentenced to an additional 20 years to be served concurrently. She appeared emotionless during the sentencing, though Court TV video showed her crying earlier as the jury delivered her guilty verdict.

Poague, then a freshman at GSW, was arrested on Jan. 14, 2024, after campus police and paramedics responded to reports of an unresponsive child in her dorm room. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Romeo was already in critical condition.An indictment later revealed that the toddler suffered horrifying injuries, including blunt-force trauma to his head and torso. Prosecutors argued that Poague inflicted the injuries in a fit of jealousy, resentful of the bond between her boyfriend and his son and wanting a baby of her own.

A former pageant queen stripped of her crown

Before her arrest, Poague held the title of Miss Donalsonville 2024. That title was revoked immediately after she was charged in connection with the toddler’s death. What had been framed as a promising future in pageantry and higher education instead unraveled into one of Georgia’s most disturbing child-abuse cases in recent years.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors described Poague as driven by envy and obsession, resenting the child’s presence and the attention he received from her boyfriend. In Court TV footage, prosecutors argued that Poague’s desire for a child of her own—and her anger that Romeo existed in that place—led to escalating abuse that culminated in the fatal attack.

Romeo’s death has left his family devastated and sparked conversations in the community about early warning signs of child abuse, domestic violence, and the pressures facing young parents and their partners.

Poague will spend the rest of her life in prison, with the possibility of parole governed by Georgia’s strict felony-murder guidelines.