A couple in Virginia has been given prison sentences after their newborn baby died in 2024.
Hilary Darnell Johnson II, who is 24, and his wife, Z’Ibreyea Shantel Parker, who is 22, took their 9-day-old daughter, Iijayah, to a hospital in Norfolk on May 4, 2024. When they got there, the hospital staff found that the baby was not responsive and felt “cold.” Sadly, she was later pronounced dead.
Johnson and Parker told the hospital workers that the baby had fallen out of her stroller a couple of days earlier while Johnson was jogging. They said they tried to treat her at home with things like witch hazel and gauze. They also said that they decided to take her to the hospital when they noticed she wasn’t eating as much and seemed to have trouble breathing.
The hospital staff noticed some troubling signs on Iijayah’s body, including burns on her feet, cuts on her head and face, and bruises on her back. Because of this, they called the police. An examination later showed that the baby died from a head injury that didn’t match the story of falling from a stroller.
Parker and Johnson both said they didn’t hurt their baby. Officials said that they couldn’t determine which parent caused the injuries, but the evidence seemed to point more towards Johnson.
Johnson made a deal and admitted to second-degree murder in August. In October, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison, which is the longest sentence allowed for that crime.
Parker also made a deal and admitted to child abuse in August. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison in October, which is the maximum sentence for felony child abuse in Virginia.
During Parker’s sentencing, the judge mentioned how the baby was not getting enough food and that there was still no explanation for her injuries.
The prosecutor, Ramin Fatehi, said that newborn babies are the most helpless victims. He added that Iijayah needed love and protection from her parents, but instead, she experienced suffering and death.
