Norfolk, VA – A Virginia couple has been sentenced to prison for the brutal death of their 9-day-old daughter, who suffered severe burns and blunt force trauma after being beaten and scalded with hot liquid. Shockingly, prosecutors said the parents laughed at the hospital while checking in, claiming their baby’s injuries “were not all that serious.”
The Incident: 9-Day-Old Baby Found with Severe Injuries
According to the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Hilary Johnson II, 24, and Z’ibreyea S. Parker, 22, brought their newborn daughter I’ijayah Johnson to the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters on May 4, 2024. Hospital staff immediately noticed signs of abuse, including deep burns on the bottom of her feet, cuts on her head and face, and bruises across her back and torso.
Doctors pronounced the baby dead on arrival. An autopsy revealed the infant died of blunt force trauma to her head and torso and deep partial-thickness burns caused by hot liquid.
“There is no victim more vulnerable than a newborn baby,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I’ijayah came into the world in need of love and protection from her mother and father. What she got instead was suffering and death.”
Investigation and Evidence: Parents’ Story Didn’t Add Up
When questioned by detectives, Johnson claimed that the baby fell out of a stroller two days before her death while he was jogging. However, investigators said the injuries were inconsistent with that explanation…