Tavares child abuse case: Mother and boyfriend indicted on murder, abuse charges in 10-year-old's death

Tavares mom and boyfriend indicted for alleged child abuse

The mother and boyfriend accused of brutally beating and killing 10-year-old Tavares boy Xavier Williams have been indicted on murder and abuse charges. Kimberley Mills and her boyfriend, Andre Walker, each received two counts of aggravated child abuse with aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse with malicious punishment. They also each received an indictment for first-degree murder.

TAVARES, Fla. - The mother and boyfriend accused of brutally beating and killing 10-year-old Tavares boy Xavier Williams have been indicted on murder and abuse charges, according to new Lake County court documents. 

Content warning: This story discusses allegations of physical abuse against a child, according to information from the Tavares Police Department. The details in this story are disturbing. 

Mother, boyfriend indicted by grand jury

Latest details:

Kimberley Mills and her boyfriend, Andre Walker, were indicted on Friday by a Lake County grand jury on charges of aggravated child abuse and murder. 

The charges relate to the death of Mills' 10-year-old son, Xavier Williams. Mills and Walker were arrested and accused of torturing Xavier to death in March.

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Mills and Walker each received two counts of aggravated child abuse with aggravated battery and aggravated child abuse with malicious punishment. They also each received an indictment for first-degree murder.

Pictured from left to right: Kimberley Mills, Xavier Williams and Andre Walker (Credit: Lake County Jail/Tavares Police Department)

What happened to Xavier?

The backstory:

On Feb. 22, Mills and Walker took Xavier to AdventHealth Waterman, where doctors noticed bruises and burn marks. 

Police said Walker left immediately, and Mills briefly left but returned with Xavier's 9-year-old brother.

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Investigators executed a search warrant at the home, uncovering evidence of abuse, including a 10-pound weight being dropped onto Xavier's stomach and copper wire used to inflict harm, authorities said.

Xavier died on March 21 after weeks of fighting for his life at the hospital. 

As the investigation continued, police discovered that the boy's brother had also been tortured and abused by the couple. 

Police said Mills was "methodical" and made sure the children would not tell anyone what was going on. The kids went to school wearing long sleeves to cover the abuse, officials said. 

Tavares boy, 10, dies after alleged torture, abuse

A 10-year-old boy from Lake County has died due to abuse and neglect, authorities said. The child's younger brother, aged 9, was also a victim of abuse, officials allege.