HOUSTON — The siblings of Kendrick Lee were ordered to testify virtually against Brian Coulter to prevent further trauma.
Coulter's capital murder trial began Tuesday. The siblings were set to testify in person on Wednesday, but their adoptive mother pleaded for the judge to reconsider.
During trial Thursday, she said seeing Coulter and having to talk about what they went through could lead to nightmares, something the two siblings, now ages 10 and 12 years old, have experienced in the past. She also said that seeing Coulter could also lead to fear and anxiety and set back the progress the two have made when it comes to moving forward from this tragic situation.
The judge ultimately agreed, allowing the siblings to testify via television where they will not see Coulter.
Coulter is accused of beating Kendrick, 8, to death in 2020. He then left his remains inside an apartment where he and three of his siblings lived, investigators said.
Coulter was in a dating relationship with Kendrick and the siblings' mother, Gloria Williams. During that time, Coulter and Williams left the children at the apartment to go live somewhere else. They would occasionally drop off junk food for the children, investigators said.
In October 2021, nearly a year after Kendrick's death, his oldest sibling, who was 15 years old at the time, called police, which led them to the discovery of Kendrick's body. Coulter and Williams were later arrested.
Because of courtroom rules set by the judge in this case, audio is not allowed to be shared from testimony but news crews can listen in and pass on what several witnesses had to say.
Williams was charged with injury to a child by omission in this case. She is awaiting trial.