A Bronx father was arraigned Thursday on charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of his 2-year-old son. The child, Montrell Williams, was found dead in the East River earlier this week by police after having been missing for a month. Authorities still await a positive identification from the medical examiner. Arius Williams, the 20-year-old father, faced prosecutors who allege the child was alive when thrown into the river on May 10th.
He appeared in a Bronx Family Court hearing to answer a warrant for failing to return the child to his mother, per their custody agreement. Montrell was supposed to be returned to her on May 11th, after which she contacted police and went to family court. After failing to disclose the child’s whereabouts, Arius Williams was arrested and jailed by a judge on Monday, June 9th. He is currently being held without bail at Rikers Island.
According to the criminal complaint, Williams approached the Bronx River just before midnight and threw his 2-year-old son into the water, causing his death. The police obtained footage of Williams tossing a bag into the Bronx River, believed to contain his son’s body.
On June 8th, Williams encountered the mother by chance in the Bronx and threatened her with a knife, telling her he had thrown Montrell in the river. The family dealing with this tragedy are shocked and devastated, with some reporting that Williams seemed to have been struggling with mental health issues recently. “His mind is not there,” Arius’ father, Leroy Burton, told the New York Post. ”He’s not the same person we knew.” Arius Williams faces two counts on each charge of second-degree murder and manslaughter, as the victim is under the age of 11.
