TAVARES, Fla.—The Tavares mom accused of torturing her son to death last year will spend the rest of her life in prison in exchange for testifying against her boyfriend, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
Kimberley Leonie Mills, 38, was adjudicated guilty and sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the murder of her 10-year-old son Xavier. Her co-defendant and boyfriend at the time of the murder, Andre Dwayne Walker, 37, is set to stand trial later this year and Mills will testify against him. Assistant State Attorneys Ken Nunnelley and Nicholas Camuccio will prosecute Walker, the SAO said in a statement.
Xavier’s father and extended family expressed their support for the plea agreement and resolution reached regarding Mills’ acknowledged involvement in this case, according to the SAO.
“Our focus has always been justice for this child and accountability for those responsible,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “Mills’ plea, which includes truthful testimony against her co-defendant, strengthens our ability to pursue that goal and ensures the full story is brought before the court. In doing so, Mills will spend the rest of her life incarcerated. I have no doubt she will think of Xavier every waking day and regret the pain and suffering she made him endure while she repeatedly endures her own.”
In February 2025, Mills and Walker brought Xavier to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, suffering from cardiac arrest, and he was covered in numerous burns and bruises in various stages of healing.
A nurse told a Tavares Police Department detective, Walker came into the emergency room and said, “We need help, hurry up,” and as the nurse and another employee exited the ER, they saw Mills performing CPR on Xavier. The nurse took over care and immediately noticed bruising. She asked Mills what happened to the child, and Mills, a registered nurse at the time of the crimes, reportedly said, “I don’t know, (he) started vomiting and then (he) was like this.”
The nurse rushed the boy into the ER and staff took over to begin life-saving measures, working on him for more than 30 minutes to stabilize him. After he was stabilized, the boy was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital, where he spent nearly a month fighting for his life.
The couple soon disappeared when they found out hospital staff called law enforcement. Mills returned to the hospital with the boy’s brother, and Walker’s whereabouts were unknown until he turned himself in at the Lake County Jail a few days later. In the hours following the boy’s arrival at the hospital, TPD obtained a search warrant for the home and later interviewed the boy’s younger brother, revealing the inconceivable terror both boys suffered at the hands of their mother and her boyfriend, TPD PIO Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake last year.
The case proved difficult for TPD; most employees are parents themselves, and the tragedy left the entire community in mourning. Hundreds gathered at Wooton Park last year for a candlelight vigil in Xavier’s honor following his death.
“The death of Xavier is one of the most heartbreaking crimes our community has ever faced. While no outcome can truly bring justice for such a loss, the plea agreement ensures that Kimberley Mills will spend the rest of her life in prison and that her cooperation will help hold Andre Walker fully accountable for his heinous acts,” TPD Chief Sarah Coursey said, “Our department remains committed to seeking justice for Xavier and to honoring his life through the pursuit of truth and accountability.”
