Father demonstrates belt-lashing in court

Holding one of his belts in his right hand, accused child killer Naeem Williams stood up in a witness box Thursday morning and swung down on a flat surface with enough force to touch off a loud crack.

The former Schofield Barracks soldier conducted the belt-lashing demonstration in U.S. District Court in response to the federal prosecutor’s request for him to show the jury how hard he hit his 5-year-old daughter Talia.

Williams, 34, is on trial for capital murder for the July 16, 2005 child abuse beating death of Talia. He’s facing the death penalty for causing the death of a child through child abuse or as part of a practice and pattern of assault and torture.

Prosecutor Steven Mellin asked for the demonstration because when he asked Williams whether or not he used full force to hit Talia, Williams responded, "I hit her hard." The courtroom belt-lashing was intended to clarify the matter.

Also, Williams said he yelled at his daughter while beating her, but couldn’t demonstrate for the jurors how loud he yelled. 

"It’s different because this isn’t my house, this isn’t where I was living. You had to be there," he said.

Neighbors had earlier testified they heard Williams yell loud enough for them to hear what he was saying and that he was berating someone.

Williams said he also hit Talia "hard" when using his fist, knocking her down and causing her to sometimes hit her head on the ground. On occasion, he said, Talia would appear to lose consciousness and start shaking.