A Detroit mother and her boyfriend have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the abuse and murder of her 7-year-old son, Deshawn Williams. Alisha Hollamon, 25, was sentenced Thursday to 20 to 40 years in prison, while her boyfriend, Avion Traylor, 23, received a sentence of 28 to 60 years. Both pleaded guilty to homicide in connection with the 2023 death of Williams.
During the sentencing, Wayne County Third Circuit Court Judge Paul Cusick expressed his belief that both defendants deserved to serve the upper range of their sentences. He added that he hoped the parole board would keep this in mind when reviewing their cases in the future.
Williams died in 2023 as a result of blunt force trauma to his head and pelvis, leading to charges of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, and torture against Hollamon and Traylor. Although the case did not go to trial, brief details of the abuse were revealed during the sentencing, according to the Detroit News.
Cusick mentioned that he had seen videos where Deshawn could be heard “crying for his life.” He described the footage as one of the most disturbing things he had ever seen, stating, “It was one of the worst things, probably the worst thing I’ve seen or heard,” despite his 18 years of experience in criminal law.
Before the sentencing, Williams’ aunt, Krystal Hollamon, delivered a victim impact statement. She directed her words solely to Traylor, not to her sister, Alisha. Krystal described the abuse Williams suffered as a “sick, demonic, ritual-like crime,” and expressed that no words could fully capture the horror of the situation.
She called Traylor evil and said, “That your mom gave birth to a demon,” adding that there were red flags that had been ignored. When given the chance to address the court, neither Traylor nor Alisha Hollamon spoke. However, their attorneys did speak on their behalf, Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK reported.
Hollamon’s attorney expressed that his client experienced grief, fear, disbelief, and guilt for failing to protect her son, suggesting that Hollamon had been a victim of abuse herself and was trying to find the strength to stand up to her abuser.
Judge Cusick strongly rejected this argument, stating that neither defendant could be considered a victim. He pointed out that Hollamon had facilitated her son’s abuse and lied to the police, while Traylor attempted to shift the blame and also lied about the crimes.
Before sentencing, Cusick also heard a motion from Traylor’s new attorney to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming that Traylor had been pressured into it. The judge denied the motion, recalling that Traylor had admitted to his guilt when he initially entered the plea.
