SAN FRANCISCO—On Monday, April 26, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged a man with the murder and assault on a child causing the death of a 7-month-old infant boy. The infant was brought to Pacific Medical Center on Franklin Street on Tuesday, April 20 by the individual being charged with the murder. He was arrested after hospital staff and investigators determined the infant suffered severe head trauma before dying at the hospital.
The suspect is Joseph Williams, 26, who was taking care of Synciere Williams, on the day of the incident. The two were unrelated despite having the same last name. Williams had been arrested twice in 2021 before the child’s death, once on January 7 and again on March 26. The woman the suspect was dating in both incidents refused to press charges and did not cooperate with the DA’s Office insisting she attacked Joseph first. District Attorney Chesa Boudin stated in a press release on Monday, “My office has filed murder charges and we will put every resource at our disposal into prosecuting this case.”
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office addressed complaints for not charging Williams sooner stating:
“We believe the available facts of these two cases supported the decision to not move forward with charges, but that is not enough.”
The SFDA’s Office is reviewing their existing policies when it comes to domestic violence crimes which includes meeting with experts and law enforcement to develop new strategies to help victims & survivors. No further details have been disclosed to the public.
