A man from Texas faces a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of killing his baby son by violently throwing him onto a couch in a moment of stress.

This week, a Tarrant County jury found 21-year-old Alfred Williams guilty of felony murder in connection with the death of his 4-month-old son, Azari Williams, resulting from child abuse.

The tragic event took place in February 2023 at an apartment complex along Southwest Loop 820 in southwest Fort Worth.

On that fateful day, the infant was rushed to Cook Children’s Hospital nearby, where he died from blunt force injuries sustained at home, as confirmed by the medical examiner’s office, according to a report by Dallas-based Fox affiliate KDFW. Notably, the family had no previous interactions with Child Protective Services at the time of the incident.

Reports from the courtroom, as covered by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, indicate that Williams was the sole adult present in the apartment with Azari and the victim’s 11-year-old half-brother earlier that day.

As the infant began to cry, and as the cries got louder and louder, the defendant yelled for him to shut up, according to law enforcement. Then, the first-time father picked up his son and squeezed. That squeeze fractured two of the tiny boy’s ribs.

After that, Williams threw Azari into the arm of the couch. Then, the baby bounced – likely hitting his head on the wall, doctors said. In the end, a pathologist determined the combined attack had caused significant brain bleeding and a spinal column fracture.

During the state’s closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Steven Elliott said Williams had thrown Azari “like he was nothing.”

“I didn’t want to hurt my child,” Williams would later tell a detective through tears.

The defendant would go on to reveal the stresses in his life. He was unemployed at the time, could not pay his cellphone bill, and spent most of his time alone in the apartment caring for the often-crying baby boy while Azari’s mother worked 12-hour shifts at a hospital.

But the man did find nonviolent ways to relieve stress, sometimes smoking cigars outside, other times walking to nearby stores.

The 11-year-old would provide an account of the evening, telling investigators he was in his bedroom when he heard his brother crying, then heard Williams shouting, and finally heard the crying stop.

The defendant was initially arrested on one count of injury to a child with serious bodily injury, the Star-Telegram reported. He was later indicted on the more severe offense.

The defense, for its part, argued manslaughter was a better fit for the facts of the case. Jurors were allowed to consider that lesser-included offense – over an objection by the state – in instructions prepared by 297th District Court Senior Judge Everett Young.

The jury ultimately determined the defendant did not intentionally kill Azari, but committed the felony crime of injury to a child and caused his death. During the next phase of the trial, the same jury will assess Williams’ sentence. He faces five years to life in prison.