Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Toilet Training Horror: Nancy Says “Rot In Hell!” as Mom Gets Life Without Parole | Crime Alert 6AM 12.17.25

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

A judge hands down a life sentence after a young child dies from repeated beatings tied to toilet training, with prosecutors saying the injuries were survivable if help had been called sooner. Police probe a possible hate crime after gunfire erupts outside a home decorated for Hanukkah, leaving a family shaken and investigators searching for suspects who vanished into the night. Federal agents move in just in time to stop a New Year’s Eve bombing plot, arresting suspects in the desert as authorities say explosive devices were already being prepared. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert. I'm Nancy Grace. Breaking Crime News now. A Georgia mom sentenced to life for beating her four-year-old little boy, Anthony Weiss, to death, because he wasn't potty trained. Well, whose fault is that? A 13-year-old witness tells authorities Anthony's mom, Sophia Williams, whipped Anthony into an, quote, unresponsive state. Rot in hell, woman. Straight out to Drew Nelson for more. Nancy, at the Cab County Superior Court Judge, Senate, Senate, Sophia Williams, 43, to life without the possibility of parole plus 10 years after her four-year-old son died from head injuries that followed repeated beatings tied to him not being potty trained. A jury convicted her in August of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, four counts of first-degree cruelty to children, and three counts of aggravated battery in the death of her son, Anthony Weiss. Officers responded to an apartment on Tregonay Drive in Decatur March 6th of 2022 for a child who was not bringing. breathing. First responders found Anthony lying on the living room floor with no heartbeat. Medics noticed, quote, new and old bruising over the child's entire body, and he was taking

a children's health care of Atlanta but was pronounced dead there. Williams told officers that Anthony was not potty trained and she disciplined him, quote, by striking him with her hand, a house slipper, a purse strap, and a charging cord when he did not listen or went without using the toilet. She also claimed that he had hit his head the week before. A 13-year-old in the home reported that Williams, quote, whooped Anthony the day before his death. The witness said he, quote, appeared to be dizzy and fell to the floor unresponsive. Williams placed Anthony on her bed and threw water on him,

reviving him briefly before he became unresponsive again. His movements throughout the night were only involuntary. During that time, she searched on her phone for remedy for concussion and coma symptoms and causes. She later fell asleep and woke up around 5 a.m. Anthony making a low grunting sound. His body was limp and she felt him stop breathing. She called Anthony's father at exactly 538 a.m. and called 911 at 626 a.m. She told officers she delayed calling because of the bruises on his body. An autopsy showed he died from blunt force trauma to the head and likely would have survived if she had sought medical care when she first noticed the signs of

injury. Thanks, Drew. More crime and justice news after this. Federal authorities say a coordinated New Year's Eve bombing plot targeting multiple locations across Southern California is thwarted after investigators tracked suspects into the desert while they tested their explosives. The arrests announced at a Los Angeles news conference where first assistant United States Attorney Bill O'Saley says four alleged members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front were taken into custody last week. According to prosecutors, the suspects traveled to a remote desert campsite with bomb-making materials

and began preparing devices before federal agents moved in. Asaley says the case centers on a plot that was already underway and carefully planned around the New Year's Eve holiday. It included a step-by-step instructions to build IEDs or improvised explosive devices and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles. Investigators say surveillance aircraft. observed the group on loading materials at the campsite and arranging components consistent with early stage bomb construction. Prosecutors said the suspects had already taken significant steps toward carrying out the plan when they were arrested. Assele describes what investigators uncovered.

The charges we are announcing today stem from the defendants and their co-conspirators detailed, coordinated plot to bomb multiple U.S. companies on New Year's Eve. As Saley says, agents intervened before the group could complete the devices. They had everything they needed to make an operational bomb at that location, and they were subsequently arrested by the FBI before they could build a functional explosive device. Each defendant now faces charges, including conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The four suspects charged in the case are Audrey Eileen Carroll, H-30, Zachary Aaron Page, 32, Dante Gaffield, 24 and Tina Lai 41. Prosecutors say all four are from the Los Angeles area and self-identified as members of an

offshoot group tied to the Turtle Island Liberation Front. Prosecutors have said additional charges are possible as the investigation continues. Authorities are working to identify whether others knew about or assisted the plot. A Jewish family in Southern California says they were targeted in what police are investigating as a hate crime after someone shouted slur. and opened fire on their home as they celebrate Hanukkah. The attack happened around 8 o'clock December 12th at a home on Magnolia Avenue in Redlands. Roger Cohen and his son, John Paul, were about to leave the house when a sedan drove past.

Inside were three suspects, two women, one man. John Paul told KTLA, the encounter escalated fast. He was holding whatever it was towards me, but he chose to yell at me, and he said, yeah, free Palestine, and then he used the N-word. The father and son got into their car and drove away. Minutes later, the suspects returned. Home surveillance video shows the same vehicle driving past again, but this time more than 20 shots fired toward the house. Police believed the weapon was likely an airsoft gun,

as no shell casings were found and no muzzle flash was visible on the video. Inside the home, Roger's wife, had Zebba Cohen, heard the noise, and thought it was something else. We just thought there was fireworks going outside. The dogs were barking. It wasn't until we pulled the surveillance video. We realized it wasn't fireworks. The home is decorated with Hanukkah inflatables.

Several of them were damaged by the gunfire. Three family members were inside at the home, though no one was hurt. Roger Cohen says the attack will not change how his family lives or celebrates. Our home is a home of joy. Our home is a home of peace. And as you can see, we like to just share our excitement to the world of bringing joy to the world. Redlands Police say they are investigating the incident as a possible anti-Semitic hate crime.

Officers have increased patrols around places of worship around the city. No suspects have been named. At the end of the night, John Paul says the realization of how close the encounter came has stayed with him. Looking back, realizing that what he had in his hand

was likely a gun and that he was that close to me really shakes me out. Anyone with information is urged to contact Redlands Police at 909-798-7681. Thanks, Drew. For the latest crime and justice news, go to crimeonline.com, and please join us for our daily podcast, crime stories, where we do our best to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides.

With this crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace.