Texts revealed in capital murder trial show boy's mom finding son 'looking dead,' prosecutors say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man is standing trial for capital murder in connection to the death of a boy nearly four years ago.

The decomposing body of 8-year-old Kendrick Lee was found inside an apartment his malnourished brothers were living in. Their mother, Gloria Williams, and her boyfriend, Brian Coulter, were living at a different apartment and were both charged with crimes in connection to his death.

The trial started Tuesday for Coulter, who pleaded not guilty to capital murder. On Wednesday, Eyewitness News heard from multiple state witnesses, including an investigator.

During Wednesday's bench trial, prosecutors focused on text messages the state says were sent by Coulter to Williams.

In messages shown and read in court, Williams is accused of telling Coulter that Kendrick had feces on him and wasn't moving. She went on to say her son "looked dead," asking Coulter to clean him up.

Other texts show Coulter allegedly told Williams that "it was in God's hands" and "not to worry."

These messages were sent a year before Kendrick Lee was found dead by authorities.

Investigators say Kendrick's brothers, ages 15, 10, and 7, were living with the skeletal remains for nearly a year. Jordan, the then-15-year-old, called 911 to report what happened on Oct. 24, 2021.

The 34-year-old opted for a bench trial, which means 178th Criminal District Court Judge Kelli Johnson will decide whether Coulter is guilty, not a jury of his peers.

Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office described the scene they found inside the apartment as horrific, with one testifying it was one of the worst scenes he's ever worked. Prosecutors played body camera footage in Tuesday's court showing the deputies shocked as they pulled back a blue blanket, discovering Kendrick's skeleton on a bedroom floor.

More crime scene photos taken that day showed the 10-year-old brother with a swollen jaw. Investigators said the boy was beaten so severely he needed surgery. The surviving children also said they weren't allowed to leave the apartment unit.

The boys lived in the apartment without electricity and beds to sleep on, with roaches everywhere and, as one investigator recalled, a distinct smell.

Authorities say Kendrick was killed around the third week of November 2020.

On Nov. 23, 2020, Coulter was arrested in Luling, Texas, for unlawful possession of a weapon. Investigators believe he had killed Kendrick days before that arrest.

Months later, in March 2021, court records show Coulter and Williams moved out of the apartments on Green Crest Drive and abandoned the children.

According to the boys, Williams and Coulter would go back every few weeks to drop off some food, but Coulter would also beat them during those trips.

By around September or October of that year, the electricity was cut off to the apartment.

On Oct. 26, 2021, two days after deputies found Kendrick Lee's remains, Coulter and Williams were arrested outside the Robinson-Westchase Library on Wilcrest, where they were captured on surveillance video.

Sources said they were at the library searching for news articles about the case.

By this time, Williams' sons were in CPS custody.

Williams is charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with her son's corpse, though she isn't charged with murder.

The medical examiner ruled Kendrick died from "homicidal violence."

We have heard through the prosecutors the surviving children found in the home with their decomposing brother will likely testify on Thursday, but over Zoom through closed circuit court.

The trial is expected to go on for several days before a decision is made on the fate of Coulter.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.