Before entering Fairview foster home, teen endured ‘sex slavery,’ lawyer says
The defense attorney for the foster mother of an 18-year-old ward of the state said the girl suffered during her short lifetime from the effects of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her biological mother.
It was that abuse that brought Mackenzi Felmlee to the foster care system and, eventually, to Shemeka Williams, 46, who now stands accused of murder.
Williams has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in connection with Felmlee’s death at her Fairview Heights home at 6 Patricia Drive on May 11, 2024. Williams’ mother, Cornelia Reid, 64, also faces a litany of felony charges including murder. Reidalso has pleaded not guilty.
Both were ordered detained at the St. Clair County Jail until their trials by Judge Sara Rice.
Details about the nature of the injuries Felmlee suffered and the conditions in which she lived were presented with photos and video, taken from Williams’ cellphone, during a pretrial detention hearing on Thursday.
Much of the same footage was presented during Williams’ hearing on Friday, but her defense attorney, Robert Bas, pivoted attention to Felmlee’s history before she was placed into Williams’ care.
The trauma Felmlee suffered, Bas said, caused auditory hallucinations and impulsivity that made it so Felmlee was “unable to have a thought without accusations.” The injuries shown in Williams’ cellphone footage were self-inflicted, he argued, and were taken at a physician’s urging to document the troubled teen’s behavior.
Williams, meanwhile, had been a foster parent for 12 years and was trained in fostering troubled children, he said.
“My client maintains innocence,” Bas said immediately after the detention hearing.
Prosecutors say Felmlee had bladder and bowel control problems, which prompted Williams and her mother to tied plastic bags around her legs. Blood clots formed where her legs were constricted, the criminal complain says, which traveled to Felmlee’s lungs and caused a fatal pulmonary embolism. Police were called after it was reported that Felmlee fell down a flight of stairs at Williams’ house.
A St. Clair County grand jury last Friday charged Williams and Reid each with:
Involuntary manslaughter
three counts of domestic battery
two counts of intimidation
Unlawful restraint
two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery
‘Sexual slavery’
Before entering foster care, Felmlee suffered a tragic and gruesome childhood that left her scarred and mentally ill, Bas said.
Felmlee was subject to “sexual slavery” at the age of 7 by her biological mother, Bonnie Felmlee. Bonnie Felmlee allowed men to have sex with her daughter, Bas said.
Mackenzi Felmlee has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, auditory hallucinations, and major depressive disorder.
Because of those conditions, medical professionals encouraged Williams to document Felmlee’s outbursts or exhibition of other symptoms so they could better understand how to treat her, Bas told the judge.
“We’re not blaming Mackenzi,” Bas said. “We’re putting the relationship (between Felmlee and Williams) into context.”
Cellphone footage was ‘cherry picked’
Bas said the evidence taken from Williams’ cellphone was “cherry picked,” and may not have been entirely reflective of the relationship Felmlee had with the foster family. Bas said, in January 2024, Felmlee asked to be adopted by Williams.
State prosecutor Dan Lewis, however, presented reports from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services that allege a pattern of abuse with other children in Williams’ home. DCFS later determined all claims, against both Williams and Reid, were unfounded.
Lewis also described a report from a neighbor who said he saw Felmlee attempt to run away in March 2024.
“They heard a commotion from their garage and saw Felmlee slamming on doors,” Lewis said. “Then, he saw Williams walk over to Felmlee and demand she return.”
Williams then allegedly slapped and pushed Felmlee, after which Felmlee fell on the ground, Lewis said. Williams then dragged Felmlee by the ankle to the edge of a yard then pulled her up to her feet and the pair walked back down the street, Lewis said.
Bas objected to outside reports being presented as evidence at the hearing, which was solely to determine if Williams posed a danger to the community and should be held in jail. Judge Rice acknowledged the objection, but allowed the reports to be used.
Against Bas’ objection, Lewis detailed how Felmlee had high grades while she attended Belleville West High School in 2019. During the Covid-19 pandemic, while she was home-schooled and attended night classes, however, she began receiving mostly failing grades, Lewis said.
In response, Bas presented a letter Williams wrote requesting Felmlee be put in special education classes, after one-on-one studying sessions, tutoring, and therapy failed to bring any improvement.
Lewis presented much of the same visual evidence that was shown by assistant state attorney Bernadette Schrempp during Cornelia Reid’s pretrial hearing on Thursday.
Photos showed severe bruising and blood on Felmlee’s head, wounds on her shoulders and arms and video showed how Williams and Reid allegedly made Felmlee cover her face with soiled underwear and fabric containing human excrement.
The morning Felmlee died
There also was footage from the early morning hours in which Felmlee died.
Bas says Williams’ intent was to “love on” Felmlee. Judge Rice, in response, said video from May 11, 2024 showed “anything but love.”
In the video, Felmlee can be seen wheezing while on her back at the bottom of a staircase. As Felmlee attempts to straighten one of her legs, which were folded inward and to her side, Williams reaches down and pushes it back into a folded position. Later, Williams can be heard laughing in the background, Judge Rice said.
Williams also can be heard saying, “she acts like she’s dead, she just needs sleep.” Williams then smacked Felmlee on the chest, and after walking to her side, quickly lifts her up by her head and chest. Felmlee then slumps over into her own lap.
Near the end of the video, Williams can be heard saying “call Mama” in reference to Reid, who was not present at the time of the fall, her attorney, Patrick Sullivan, said Thursday. When she arrived at her daughter’s house, Reid called 911 and attempted CPR, Sullivan said.
Other videos show Felmlee facing a wall and repeating phrases aloud, such as “I am somebody” and “It is not good to manipulate.”
Bas said this does not prove abuse, but depicts tactics similar to those a coach would use to motivate an athlete.
He also noted a sign Williams made Felmlee face that said “Seven Rules of Life,” which included phrases like, “Let it go: Never ruin a good day by thinking about a bad yesterday,” and, “Smile: Life is short. Enjoy it while you have it.”
During Schrempp’s presentation on Thursday, video of Felmlee repeating “It is not good to manipulate,” also showed her being struck numerous times by what appears to be a belt. Other video showed Felmlee repeating “I am a doof, I hate myself.”
Timeline of alleged abuse
All of the footage presented during the detention hearing came from Williams’ cellphone. The dated photos and videos ranged from May 2023 to Felmlee’s death in May 2024. They document a chronology of alleged abuses:
May 15, 2023: The earliest-recorded video presented during the hearing shows Felmlee being made to face a wall and repeat, “I am somebody.”
May 31, 2023: Video shows Felmlee facing the same wall, this time repeating, “I am a doof, I hate myself.”
June 1, 2023: Williams’ biological daughter can be heard in the background saying, “I am smarter than I believe.” Felmlee is then hit multiple times and made to say, “It is not good to manipulate,” after which Williams says, “Good job. Are you crying?” Felmlee responds, “No, ma’am.”
July 16, 2023: Felmlee can be heard crying and asking for “real food.” In response, a voice says to Felmlee that she has to eat the liquid food that the doctor prescribed. Another video shows Felmlee eating liquid food off her hand, which was either Ensure or Boost nutritional shakes. Felmlee was prescribed the shakes because she was vomiting solid foods, Williams said in the video.
Aug. 15, 2023: A text from Williams’ phone shows an interaction between Williams and someone named Tax Lady Tasha. Tasha texted Williams, “I heard you back there,” to which Williams responds “I was whooping (Felmlee’s) ass. She’s pretending to have bulimia.”
November 2023: Felmlee asks for a drink of water, but an off-camera voice denies the request saying “with the battle of going back and forth, we’re limiting liquids until she knows when she has to potty, got it?” Felmlee responds “yes ma’am.”
March 3, 2024: Felmlee is told to put soiled underwear into a COVID-19 mask, then put it over her face, which she did. A photo from the same date shows Felmlee wearing a piece of fabric over her nose and mouth that had soiled material on it. Reid can be seen in the background and heard on video directing Felmlee to wear the mask.
It was around this time a neighbor allegedly saw Felmlee attempt to run away.
May 1, 2024: A photo shows a badly injured Felmlee with her head covered in blood and deeply bruised.
May 2, 2024: A photo shows that Felmlee also had an abrasion on her shoulder and upper arm.
Williams’ daughter told police in a statement that Reid had caused the injury using the “whooping stick,” which comprised three paint-stirring sticks tied together. Williams’ daughter also said Reid would pour hot sauce on wounds as punishment.
May 3, 2024: A video shows Felmlee telling Williams, “Mrs. Bonnie, please don’t hurt me,” then, “Mrs. Meka, please don’t hurt me.” Williams responds by asking if Felmlee was “playing crazy” since she had said a different name prior to recording, which was the name of Felmlee’s biological mother.
A text from Williams, also on May 3, 2024, said she did not want to get in trouble for Felmlee’s bruises. “I have (my daughter) to worry about,” she said.
May 11, 2024, the day Felmlee died: Williams’ teenage daughter was recording video at around 1:40 a.m., when Felmlee had fallen to the bottom of a staircase.
In the video, Williams said Felmlee had thrown herself down the stairs. Felmlee can be seen lying on her back with her legs folded to her side. Felmlee tries to move a leg straight, but Williams folds it back.
Williams then lifts Felmlee up by the chest and head so that she isn’t on the floor. A small amount of blood can be seen where Felmlee had been on the ground. Felmlee slowly falls into her own lap as Williams puts a blanket over her.
Another video from sometime later that night shows Felmlee biting onto a blue hand rail while making a repeated grunting sound. “She’s making sexual sounds,” Williams said, before adding that Felmlee “threw her head against the wall.”
Williams can be heard saying to her daughter, “Call mama,” referring to Reid. When Reid arrived, she called 911 and performed CPR with chest compressions on Felmlee. Felmlee was later pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital in Belleville.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 6:54 PM.
