Teresa Ann Black trial: Jury deliberates in murdered child cold case

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Closing arguments in Teresa Black's murder trial have concluded. The mother, who stands accused of murdering her six-year-old son over 25 years ago, will learn her fate from a DeKalb County jury.

Black faces charges of murdering her son and concealing his death for more than two decades. William Hamilton's body was discovered in a wooded area near a small cemetery on Clifton's Springs Road in February 1999. Up until 2022, his identity was unknown. 

After more than 20 witnesses and four days of testimony, the prosecution rested its case on Monday.

"Teresa Black is responsible for his death," DeKalb County prosecutors said during closing arguments.

Black's defense team called only one witness before wrapping up their case yesterday afternoon. During today's closing statements, prosecutors portrayed Black as a negligent mother who failed to provide medical care to her son when needed, allegedly leading to his death. They assert that she then lied and concealed his death for years.

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Black's defense team countered during their closing arguments, attempting to convince the jury that she wasn't a bad mother and that the evidence does not support the allegations against her. Black broke down in tears as her lawyer was delivering his closing arguments.

"She gave him some over the counter medicine because he didn’t feel good," said her defense attorney Ryan Bozarth.

Black’s defense team told jurors that she was too scared to call for help and kept hiding her son’s death because she was concerned. They said the evidence presented does not show she’s guilty.

"She didn't tell anyone about William for a day, that day became a week, a week became months and years, and it became 23 years," Bozarth said. "But she never forgot him, she never stopped regretting that mistake."

Deliberations began Tuesday at around 3:15 p.m. The judge adjourned court just before 6 p.m. and said the jury would continue deliberating on Wednesday. If convicted, Teresa Black faces up to life in prison.

Hamilton's lifeless body was discovered in a DeKalb County cemetery in 1999, a mystery that has remained unsolved for 25 years. Referred to as "John Clifton Doe" during the investigation, the boy's identity remained elusive until 2019, when a facial reconstruction led to a breakthrough.

"She discarded him as if he was trash and left him in a wooded area to slowly decompose," said TyShawn Jackson, a Senior DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney.

Former FOX 5 reporter Angeline Hartmann, who initially reported on the discovery of the boy's remains, played a crucial role in unearthing his identity. Hartmann later became the communications director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

It was a tip to that organization from Ava in North Carolina, recognizing the boy as her former neighbor, which ultimately led to Black's arrest in Phoenix, Arizona. Ava recalled Black's return to North Carolina without her son, unable to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding his whereabouts.

On June 28, 2022, a DeKalb County grand jury returned an indictment against Black on charges of felony murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children, and concealing the death of another.

"It is time for justice, it is time to hold Teresa responsible," said Shannon Hodder, a Senior DeKalb County Assistant District Attorney.