HARLEM, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Columbia County judge has denied bond for a man accused of attacking his wife, an assault that prosecutors say led to her death days later.
Columbia County Superior Court Judge Sheryl Jolly ruled Wednesday that 31-year-old Willie Bernard Thomas will remain in the Columbia County Detention Center while he awaits trial on murder and related charges in the death of his wife.
Letavia Latimore, 31, was found unresponsive at the couple’s Harlem home on July 30 and later died at the hospital on Aug. 7. She had suffered massive bleeding on the brain, according to testimony in court. She was placed on life support and declared brain dead about a week later, and died after she was taken off life support.
Thomas was originally charged with aggravated assault after deputies were called to the home and he told authorities Latimore had fallen in the bathtub. Investigators later concluded her injuries were not consistent with an accidental fall.
Prosecutors: Child’s messages captured the attack
During Wednesday’s bond hearing, District Attorney Natalie Paine argued against releasing Thomas, saying all four of the couple’s children were inside the home during the attack and that Thomas could try to influence their testimony or pose a threat to them if he were released…