SERENA WILLIAMS’ half-sister has revealed her heartbreak after she was named a police suspect in the tragic death of her son from an overdose.

Two years ago, Sabrina Williams’ youngest boy, Alphonse, took his own life at age 20 at their home in Las Vegas. 

Sabrina, whose dad is tennis coach King Richard, lived at her home with Alphonse and eldest son Elijah, now 26, and went to wake him at 7:30 am.

He didn’t respond, and it took her around half an hour to call 911 after finding him dead. 

The 59-year-old can’t explain the delay, but it was enough for the police to start asking questions. 

In an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, she said, “I was a ‘person of interest’ until they cleared me after they got all his blood work back three months later. That hit me hard this year. 

“Because my son died so young, I found the bottle, I found that container, I touched the container, and, according to the police, I hesitated about contacting 911. 

“Basically, I was thinking, ‘You think I killed my son?’

“I got up at my usual time, 7:30, I knocked on the door, he didn’t answer, I thought maybe it was too early. I called him, he didn’t answer, then sent a text, and still no answer. 

“So I went and found the key, opened the door, he was already gone. I felt his body and it was ice cold, rigor mortis had already sent in, and I just screamed for Eli. 

“When the police came, this one lady officer was quizzing me. ‘So you found him at 7:30? Why didn’t you call us straight away? What took you between 7:30 and, around 8?’

“She said it took an extra 30 minutes for me to get hold of 911, what was going on? And I said, ‘I don’t know,’ but I was freaking out and he was clearly dead.

I felt his body and it was ice cold, rigour mortis had already sent in, and I just screamed.”

Sabrina Williams

“The paramedic was much better and said they know how he died, but until they get back all the reports, they can’t confirm anything. 

“I know it was nothing personal, but it hurt.

“When he died they put yellow tape all around the house and I was forbidden to go inside. It’s all these things I’ve bottled up and didn’t tell anyone for nearly two years.”

DEADBEAT DAD

Despite living through every parent’s worst nightmare, Sabrina did not expect a call from any of her relatives, certainly not from father Richard.

The father of two sporting greats – Serena and Venus – walked out on his first family when Sabrina was only 8 years old, telling her he was going to buy her a bike. 

There was no phone call from Richard at the time and not one after the loss of his grandson Alphonse either, but hospice chaplain Sabrina has become used to fighting her grief alone. 

Nevertheless, this year her grief hit her harder and it’s only now that she can talk about her experience fully.

Sabrina never had any of the attention that the Williams sisters had from their dad, seeing him only a couple of times during her adult years.

She says he’s never met his two grandchildren.

When The U.S. Sun interviewed Richard last year, he barely remembered his first family – where he left five kids and a wife in the ’70s. 

Asked directly about Sabrina, a frail Richard appeared confused but understood she is the daughter of his first wife, Betty Johnson, and said he’d be happy to be in contact.

NO CONTACT

None of the family called when Alphonse died or on any anniversaries apart from her niece. 

“Eli has kind of shut down with it, he doesn’t talk about it, a lot of my friends don’t talk about it,” Sabrina explained.

“It’s not that the rest of the family are not bothered, I think that people just don’t know what to say. What do you say? 

“Everybody else just expects you to go on. So it’s hard. If you lost a child, it’s hard to talk to people because they just don’t get it. 

“I don’t know if it’s my age, but a lot of people say bull c**p things to me, ‘You know, it’ll get better.’

“Everybody else just expects you to go on. So it’s hard. If you lost a child, it’s hard to talk to people because they just don’t get it.”

Sabrina Williams

“Are you in my situation? How do you know it’s going to get better? You’re not God, don’t tell me that. 

“I was trying to talk to my pastor’s wife and she was like, ‘Maybe you should talk to some of the other women in church, they’ve lost somebody and sometimes you just need a really good kick to get over stuff.’  

“I’m not a person that is easily consoled. Don’t tell me generic things like that God has a plan.”

“Everyone goes to church where I’m from, but mental health and suicide, people think that it’s a shameful thing to talk about. But it happens. We need to talk,” she added.

‘WE NEED TO TALK’

This year was particularly tough for Sabrina.

After Alphonse’s death, she moved 1,300 miles away to Iowa to make a fresh start but suffered a near month of mental darkness as the second anniversary of his death approached. 

However, she found a novel way to cope with her grief and anger – taking up sprinting.

Her tennis pro half-sisters would be proud – and Alphonse too, as he was also an athlete. 

MENTAL ANGUISH

“It was horrible, it was worse than the day he died,” she said of the anniversary of Alphonse’s death.

“I think I was still in that mindset on his death that, ‘This is not real.’ But this year – dude, this is real c**p. I shut down.

“I just went to work, didn’t want to talk to anybody, had to watch my anger, that [had] started three weeks before in January, I knew it was coming.

“What probably saved my soul and mindset, I started doing 10-second sprints, six times in a row because sometimes I can’t get this anger out any other way. 

“It’s freaking amazing, it lets me sleep. I feel good about it and life is great.”

“What probably saved my soul and mindset, I started doing ten-second sprints, six times in a row because sometimes I can’t get this anger out any other way.”

Sabrina Williams

“One day when I was driving, I was so angry. I was like, I have got to get off the road and do my sprints.

“I still take my depression medicine, but this is a whole other level. I don’t want to have to go on more medication to deal with the pain, so that’s how I’ve learned to deal with it,” she said.

“Alphonse was such a great runner too.”

As Sabrina has changed through Alphonse’s death, she’s also taken on the best traits of his personality. 

“I’m going to tell you losing a child makes you even more grateful for every year. I’m a totally different person,” she adds.

“I’m becoming more like Alphonse, he loved breakfasts, I was never bothered, but now if I don’t have my oatmeal and protein drink, my day is not good.

“I used to only have wardrobes that were black and blue, now my wardrobe is very colorful, like Alphonse, he was a stylish dresser, and I wasn’t. Yesterday I was in a dress. Totally not me. 

“I’ve lost so much weight, I feel good. I feel damn hot. 

“I don’t care what people think, just like Alphonse, it’s a great kind of arrogance.”

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255), chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.