A 55-year-old woman from Mobile, Alabama has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 2022 beating death of her four-year-old nephew.
On February 3, 2022, authorities found King Lyons unresponsive in a home in Mobile. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Yolanda Coale, who was the boy’s aunt and caregiver, was arrested and initially charged with aggravated child abuse. The charge escalated to felony murder after investigations revealed the child had been beaten with a broomstick, with court records indicating signs of long-term abuse.
A young family member, aged six, who was present in the home, allegedly witnessed Coale hitting and lashing Lyons with a belt on several occasions. She also mentioned the existence of a “lock-up room” where Coale would confine the children as a form of punishment for their misconduct.
Coale was also reported to have refused Lyons water due to toileting accidents, and that she found it amusing to see him resort to drinking water from the toilet.
Coale’s guilty plea, made through a best-interest plea that allows for a guilty plea while maintaining claims of innocence, leads to her conviction for manslaughter. Sentencing is scheduled for February 15, 2024. She remains free on bail until then.
The tragedy of this case is compounded by Coale’s blaming the fatal attack on Lyons’ nine-year-old sister, who was charged with hitting her brother with a broomstick handle, but the child was later cleared of any involvement.