Brevard County Sheriff Amanda Paige Davis and Charner Leon Williams IV.
Amanda Paige Davis is the Florida mother facing an aggravated manslaughter charge after her young daughter drowned in a pool while Davis was sleeping around 1:30 p.m. on February 13. Davis’ boyfriend, Charner Leon Williams IV, was also arrested and faces the same charge.
The toddler, identified as Athena Blevins, was pronounced dead at the hospital. According to a news release from the Titusville Police Department, she would have been 2-years-old on February 19.
Davis and Williams admitted they had been using heroin in the bedroom before falling asleep, according to the probable cause affidavit. Investigators said the toddler could have easily accessed the drug paraphernalia that was found inside the bedroom.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Roommate Grabbed the Toddler From the Pool After First Thinking It Was a ‘Doll’ Floating in the Water
Titusville PoliceAmanda Davis and Charner Williams are charged with aggravated manslaughter after her daughter drowned in a pool while they slept.
Davis and Williams had been living at a shared house on Knox McRae Drive in Titusville for about two months, according to the probable cause affidavit. The homeowner told detectives he “allowed several people to temporarily stay with him.”
Another roommate told the police he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette just before 1:30 p.m. on February 13. He spotted what he originally thought was a “doll floating in the pool.”
However, he “immediately realized” the floating object was likely Blevins, who was referenced in the affidavit as “A.B.” The roommate said he pulled the child out of the pool and yelled inside for someone to call 911. The homeowner heard the shouting, saw the toddler outside of the pool and called for help.
The roommate performed CPR on the toddler until paramedics arrived. He told detectives the child “was already turning blue” when he started trying to resuscitate her.
The affidavit states that neither Davis nor Williams woke up until after emergency medical responders arrived. The document notes that the homeowner had to wake them up.
2. Davis & Williams Admitted Using Heroin, Cocaine & Marijuana Overnight While Davis’ Daughter Slept
Titusville PoliceAmanda Davis and Charner Williams admitted using drugs the night before Davis’ daughter drowned.
Davis initially told detectives that she and Williams were both recovering from heroin addiction. She claimed they both had been sober for 60 days but this story quickly changed.
According to the affidavit, Davis first admitted she and Williams had smoked marijuana the previous night and told officers they would find the drug in the house. But after she was placed under arrest and read her rights, Davis confessed that she and Williams had mixed heroin with the marijuana and smoked it.
In a separate interview with officers, Williams added that they had also used cocaine. Williams told detectives he and Davis went to sleep around 5 a.m.
Davis said she woke up around 7 a.m. to use the bathroom and observed that her daughter was asleep in her own bed.
Williams told police he briefly woke up at 1:13 p.m. to answer a text message. He claimed he saw the little girl “still in her toddler bed awake and playing with her fingers.” He told police he fell back asleep but remembers waking up when he heard a roommate repeatedly screaming “What the f***?!”
3. The Couple Had Drug Paraphernalia Within the Toddler’s Reach, According to the Affidavit
Titusville PoliceInvestigators found evidence of illegal drug use in the bedroom Amanda Davis and boyfriend Charner Williams shared.
Williams initially gave consent for officers to search his and Davis’ bedroom after Davis admitted they had smoked marijuana the previous night. According to the affidavit, investigators immediately found a “glass pipe typically used to smoke marijuana” on the nightstand. The detectives also found a small bag containing a “white, powdery substance” on the same nightstand. The affidavit notes Williams called one of the detectives and was “hesitant” about allowing the search to continue.
Police then closed off the house and ordered everyone out until a judge signed off on a search warrant. Once the warrant was issued, officers said items found inside Davis and Williams’ bedroom also included:
- Four plastic bags containing a residue
- A prescription bottle containing foil and six bags with residue
- A glass pipe with residue
- Four spoons with residue
- A bag containing miscellaneous paraphernalia
- Miscellaneous prescription paperwork
The affidavit states that most of the drug paraphernalia found in the bedroom was located in places that the toddler could have easily reached. Davis and Williams admitted they had smoked heroin and marijuana following the search.
4. The Toddler Had Learned How to Open the Sliding Door But Nothing Was Done to Protect the Child From Wandering Outside, Police Said
Brevard County SheriffAmanda Paige was charged with aggravated manslaughter after her toddler drowned.
During her interview with the police, Davis acknowledged that her daughter had recently learned how to open the sliding door to get out of the house. But according to the affidavit, the adults “had not taken any measures to secure the door.”
Titusville Police further noted in a news release that “no steps were put in place to prevent the toddler from having access to additional hazards, such as the swimming pool, and the roadway.” Williams, in his own interview with police, “blamed the roommate for leaving an exterior residence door unsecured” and “took no responsibility” for the toddler’s death.
Both Davis and Willaims are charged with Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child, according to Brevard County court records. The felony charge carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison if convicted, according to the state’s legal code.
Davis and Williams were booked into the Brevard County Jail. Court records show both were held without bond. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for March 11.
5. Williams Was Previosuly Convicted for Drug Possession
Brevard County SheriffCharner Leon Williams and girlfriend Amanda Davis are both charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child.
As Titusville Police noted on the affidavit, a criminal background check on Davis “yielded no results.” A search of court records in Brevard County dating back to 2010 brings up only a traffic citation from 2017.
It was not clear whether Davis was employed. The “occupation” box on the affidavit was left blank. The toddler’s father was also not mentioned on the document or in the news release from the department.
Williams has been arrested a few times in Brevard County. His profile on the county jail website brings up past charges including a misdemeanor theft charge, driving without a valid license and parole violations. According to the affidavit, Williams’ history also includes a conviction for “possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.”
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