Audrianna Cobb-Williams Found Not Guilty Of Sexual Contact
Not Guilty, But Not Innocent? Georgia Teacher Audrianna Cobb-Williams Found Not Guilty Of Sexual Assault After Kissing Her Student
Former Monroe Comprehensive High School teacher Audrianna Cobb-Williams was found not guilty of sexual contact with ex-student Jaquan Maddox after a three-day trial, Oct. 29–31.
Audrianna Cobb-Williams, a former teacher at Monroe Comprehensive High School in Albany, Ga., was found not guilty of having sexual contact with her former student, Jaquan Maddox, after an intense three-day trial lasting from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31, according to WALB.
Video obtained by WALB showed Cobb-Williams breaking down in tears after hearing the decision.
“I feel blessed and favored,” Cobb-Williams told WALB reporter Mackenzie Petrie outside the courthouse after the verdict. “When I got on that stand, I told the truth, and I know when they came back in, it made me feel so good. So I just want to say thank you to the jury.”
Audrianna Cobb-Williams was arrested in December 2023 and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault after a photo surfaced showing her kissing Jaquan Maddox. At the time, Cobb-Williams was a cheer coach at Monroe Comprehensive High School, where Maddox was a student. Following the incident, she resigned from her position.
In September 2024, Cobb-Williams was formally indicted on those charges. It’s unclear how old Maddox or Cobb-Williams were during the time of the incident.
What Happened Suring Audrianna Cobb-Williams’ Trial?
According to WALB, the trial for the former Dougherty County School teacher began on Oct. 29. Notably, by the end of the first day, one of two sexual assault counts was dismissed after both the defense and the judge agreed the charge had “no legal basis.” During that same session, the defense reportedly compelled Jaquan Maddox to admit that he had attempted to extort a $1,000 weekly payment from Cobb-Williams after the photo surfaced, if she wanted “all of this to go away.” Court officials reportedly played an audio recording to him that allegedly captured him saying that.
According to the report, that day, state prosecutors also “presented Maddox with screenshots of Cash App transactions between him” and Cobb-Williams in which Maddox stated that he “would repay Cobb-Williams whenever she sent him small payments.”
On Oct. 30, jurors heard conflicting audio statements from Maddox. In one recording, he denied that he and Cobb-Williams had sexual intercourse. In another, he alleged that they had both sexual and oral intercourse. Meanwhile, in audio shared by Cobb-Williams, she was heard admitting that she and Maddox had feelings for each other and that she kissed him several times, but firmly maintained that they never became sexual.
The following day, Friday, Oct. 31, at around 11 a.m., Cobb-Williams took the stand to testify on her own behalf. During her testimony, she admitted to kissing Maddox but denied having sexual or oral intercourse with him.
When asked why she decided to testify, she responded:
“I want to testify to the jury because they’re the ones going to be judging me. Almost two years of being involved in the case, I have been silent, and today, I want my voice heard.”
After deliberating for just over an hour, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. According to The Jasmine Brand, Cobb-Williams first caught widespread attention in 2020 after a rap video she made with another teacher, titled “What’s Popping,” went viral online.
