‘I Hate Him’: Former Georgia Beauty Pageant Queen Who Sent Spiteful Texts About Boyfriend’s Baby She Murdered Cries in Court As She Learns Her Fate
An ex-beauty pageant queen who was charged with the murder of her boyfriend’s baby had a surprising breakdown during her trial as she learned the verdict from jurors.
Trinity Poague, the former reigning pageant queen in Donaldsonville, Georgia, was arrested in January 2024 for the murder of 18-month-old Romeo “Jaxton Dru” Angeles.
The former Miss Donaldsonville was 18 when she was charged with malice murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of aggravated battery, and cruelty to children in the first degree.
The baby died on Jan. 14, 2024, at a hospital in Americus, Georgia, after he was found unresponsive at a dorm at Georgia Southwestern State University, where Poague was a student.
Prosecutors say Poague beat the baby in her dorm room after he was briefly left in her care, and inflicted injuries consisting of “blunt-force trauma to the head and torso,” which caused fatal brain and organ injuries.
Poague reportedly gave varying accounts about the fatal wounds, telling the father the toddler had fallen off the bed and a chair. However, a medical examiner ruled the injuries were far too severe to have resulted from a simple fall. State investigators interviewed her several times before finally arresting her.
On the day of the baby’s death, one dorm resident told WRDW that she heard a child “crying for a long time until everyone said that suddenly it just stopped.” According to the student’s account, the baby was crying for over an hour before he stopped.
“And no one knew what happened,” the student told the outlet.
During her trial, prosecutors argued that Poague wanted to have a child of her own and killed the baby out of spite. Jurors were shown screenshots of texts that Poague sent her roommate in which she expressed hatred for the toddler.
“He hates me, and I hate him,” Poague wrote, according to CBS News.
In closing arguments, the state was adamant that Poague brutally murdered little Romeo.
“That girl killed that little boy. She killed that little boy. She cracked his skull. Out of anger out of malice,” District Attorney Lewis Lamb said in closing arguments, per WALB. “The only person that could have possibly done this in the time frame in which it had to occurred.”
Poague’s defense attorney, Tim Gamble, contended there wasn’t enough hard evidence to prove that Poague was responsible for the child’s death.
“You cannot discount the possibility that Mr. Williams could’ve been responsible. You cannot discount the possibility that an accident happened to the child while they were showering,” Gamble told the jury. “You can not the discount the possibility that the fall from a 40-inch bed caused injury to this child. All those are reasonable doubts. You can not come back with a verdict otherwise.”
Footage from Court TV shows the moments the jury read Poague’s verdict.
They found her not guilty of malice murder, but guilty on all other counts.
The moment the lead juror spoke the words “not guilty,” Poague began to break down in tears, with her family behind her following suit. However, as he read off the rest of the verdict, her countenance quickly changed, and she looked crestfallen by the decision.
She didn’t change face during her sentencing when a judge ordered her to spend life in prison, plus a concurrent 20 years for the murder. She’ll be eligible for parole in 30 years.
“I hope this can bring some closure to the family. It’s just a complete tragedy. And I hope that you can, in your older days, have some sort of life after serving this sentence,” Judge W. James Sizemore, Jr. told Poague.