Former Georgia pageant queen indicted in death of boyfriend’s toddler

Posted at 10:55 AM, June 11, 2024

SUMTER COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — A former Georgia pageant queen accused of murdering an 18-month-old boy has been indicted on multiple charges.

Trinity Madison Poague, 18, was arrested on Jan. 19, five days after Romeo Angeles was found unresponsive in her college dorm room on Georgia Southwestern State University’s campus. Angeles, who is also referred to as “Jaxton,” later died at a hospital.

Booking photo of Trinity Poague

Trinity Madison Poague is charged with murdering an 18-month-old. (Sumter County, GA Sheriff’s Office)

GSW student Lilly Waterman previously told WRDW, “That kid was crying for a long time until everyone said that suddenly it just stopped. And no one knew what happened.”

Angeles was identified as the son of Poague’s boyfriend, according to WALB.

An indictment obtained by Court TV accuses Poague of “inflicting blunt force trauma” to Angeles’ head and torso. The indictment states Poague caused “serious disfigurement to his liver” and “rendered his brain useless.”

In total, Poague is facing six charges: Malice murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, two counts of felony murder and two counts of aggravated battery.

According to WALB, Poague was crowned Miss Donalsonville in 2023. Donalsonville is approximately four hours south of Atlanta, near the Alabama/Florida/Georgia borderline. Early County News reported that Poague was stripped of her title in March following her arrest. She was released from jail in Feb. after posting a $75K bond.