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Trial date to be scheduled for mother accused of killing her two sons, placing them in hot oven in 2017

Lamora Williams was in the court room, but did not appear in front of the judge.

ATLANTA — WARNING: This story contains graphic details that many readers will find disturbing. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

The woman accused of killing two of her sons by placing them inside a hot oven was due in court Friday morning for a final plea hearing in Fulton County Superior Court.

Lamora Williams was in the court room, but did not appear in front of the judge early Friday morning.

The Fulton County Superior Court judge will set a future trial date, but did not announce when that date will be.

The case's gruesome details shocked the community, and a local funeral home covered the burial expenses of the two children.

More on the case

Here's what the details in the warrant stated about the incident.

The arrest warrant for Williams said in 2017 she placed 1-year-old Ja'Karter Penn and 2-year-old Ke'Yaunte Penn inside an oven and turned it on.

According to the arrest warrant, the crimes happened between midnight Oct. 12 and 11 p.m. Oct. 13 -- a span of nearly two days.

Authorities said that Lamora Williams called police on that Friday and said her children were dead. 

Inside the apartment at the time of their deaths was 3-year-old brother Jameel Penn, Jr. who was unharmed.

Jameel Penn, Jr., lived with his father after the death of his siblings.

Williams who has remained at the Fulton County Jail since 2017 was previously indicted on a list of charges including murder for the death of the two boys.

The court case though has been delayed several times due to the pandemic and a judge placing a judicial hold on the case while mental health evaluations were carried out for Williams.

Did mental health illnesses play a factor?

“That was a demonic spirit took over her, she looks possessed – that didn’t even look like her,” her sister, Tabitha Hollingsworth previously told 11Alive. “That mugshot... she looks evil.”

But she said it was a long road that led to that moment.

Hollingsworth said that her sister battled with mental health most of her life and it became more and more serious in recent years. She said Williams refused medical help and wouldn’t admit to having a mental health problem. So, she has never been diagnosed with a particular illness.

In 2014, her father, who was a rock in her life, died. Hollingsworth said her sister then had a miscarriage and the father of her three boys left her.

All of that preceded the recent deaths of her two youngest children Ja’Karter and Ke’Yaunte – both of which were allegedly placed in the oven by Williams.

Did DFCS see any troubling signs?

Nothing indicated that Williams would kill her children, according to her family and the Division of Family and Children Services.

DFCS said, they were never contacted regarding her two sons, 1-year-old Ja’Karter and 2-year-old Ke’Yaunte's welfare – nor had any warning that her mental health capacity was a problem.

In fact, in a 73-page report from DFCS, they only document Ja’Karter and Ke’Yaunte’s deaths, citing “inadequate supervision” for all three of her sons, including 3-year-old surviving son, Jameel Penn Jr.

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