Boyfriend of mother charged with murder after her baby dies, Charlotte police say
Update: A jury in Mecklenburg County convicted Zaki Davis of first-degree murder on April 1, 2026. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The boyfriend of a Charlotte mother was charged in connection with the death of her 7-month-old, police said Thursday.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Dec. 17, officers assisted Medic at the 9600 block of Corbett Square Lane, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said. When the officers arrived, they found a child unconscious and unresponsive. Medic and the Charlotte Fire Department attempted life-saving measures before taking the child to the hospital.
While at the hospital, the child was showing signs of life, and the investigation was turned over to CMPD’s Youth Crime detectives.
CMPD’s Homicide and Youth Crime detectives conducted a joint investigation into the child’s condition.
At 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, medical staff pronounced Israel Williams dead after the child’s health took a turn for the worse, police said. The child was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office, who officially ruled the child’s death a homicide on Monday.
Homicide detectives obtained a murder warrant for Zaki Davis, 22, the boyfriend of the victim’s mother.
Police did not detail Israel’s condition, or what led to his death.
On Wednesday, detectives found and arrested Davis, police said. He was transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and charged with first-degree murder.
The mother was notified of both the death of Israel and the arrest of Zaki, police said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 1:51 PM.
