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'You're going to die tonight' | Father allegedly drowned adopted son in bathtub

10-year-old Kentae Williams was transported to Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children after his father allegedly drowned him in the bathtub.

A newly-adoptive father is accused of drowning his 10-year-old son in a bathtub.

Leon Williams Sr., 43, is charged with murder and cruelty to children in the first degree in the death of his son, Kentae Williams.

The incident happened Friday night. Officer and EMS responded to a call of a person drowning at the Serenade Apartments on Glen Hollow Drive.

According to police, Leon Williams called 911 and said that he found his son in the bathtub. He said he drained the water from the tub and began performing CPR while waiting for help to arrive.

The 10-year-old child was transported to Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children as investigators determined that there was more to the child's death than the father originally said.

"They did notice there were bruises and injuries that were not consistent with a drowning," said DeKalb County Public Information Officer Shiera Campbell.

Officers met with a witness who said she saw the suspect earlier that day during a BBQ. The witness said she saw the child and his father in the parking lot where she called the father over to speak with her. She saw that the suspect was walking behind the victim and grabbing the child's neck.

The witness mentioned to the suspect that he looked angry and he had told her that the child cut school that day. According to the father, the child kicked his teacher and called her a profane word.

She then said she overheard the suspect telling the victim, "You're going to die tonight" while they walked back to their apartment.

Police are still trying to determine what exactly happened after they returned home.

The child's grandmother told authorities that she was visiting to help take care of the victim for a week while Williams Sr. was out on a business trip. She said that the suspect told the victim to go take a bath, but the victim made a big fuss saying he did not want to.

She checked periodically on the victim to make sure he was OK and saw that the suspect was in his room changing, then a few minutes later, everything went quiet.

She then said that the suspect called her to come upstairs to call 9-1-1. When she came back upstairs to where the victim was, she stated that the water appeared hot and she saw burn marks on the bottom of the victim's feet.

It was possible that the child may have had a seizure in the bathtub, she said.

After the child's death, Williams Sr. was booked in the DeKalb County Jail for murder and cruelty to children in the first degree.

The father had just adopted the child after fostering him.

The child attended Cedar Grove Elementary School. DeKalb County Schools spokesperson Andre Riley released a statement Tuesday saying, "We were saddened to hear about this tragic situation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the young man’s family friends”

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