School Bus Monitor Who Scrolled Instagram as 6-Year-Old Choked to Death on Her Wheelchair Harness Is Sentenced

Mar. 15, 2025

Fajr Atiya Williams (left); and Amanda Davila.Photo:Gofundme; Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office/Facebook

Gofundme; Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office/Facebook

Amanda Davila, 28, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted in January of endangering the welfare of a child in relation to the death of6-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams.

Surveillance footage showed Davila, seated in front of the child instead of sitting across from her, had her earphones on and scrolled through Instagram, listened to music and sent or received 34 text messages as the child suffocated.

Fajr “struggled violently for her life, flailing her arms and legs," authorities said, perNJ.com. She was also seen on camera “[making] a shriek or gasp and at one point kicked the window of the bus,” authorities said.

Fajr was struggling for more than 10 minutes before Davila noticed she was in distress.

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Fajr was born with Emanuel syndrome, a rare chromosome disorder which rendered her unable to speak, her mother Namjah Nash previously toldCBS New York.

Despite being non-verbal, Nash said, she could still make sounds, adding: “She has a voice.”

Davila was found not guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree manslaughter.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com