Parents, who brutally beat their newborn daughter and then treated the injuries with home remedies as they were not serious before the baby was pronounced dead, were sentenced
Virginia – In a deeply disturbing case that shook residents in Virginia, two young parents, 22-year-old mother, identified as Z. Parker, and 24-year-old father, identified as H. Johnson, have been sentenced for the death of their newborn daughter, who died after suffering severe, untreated injuries while under their care. The baby girl, just days into life, arrived at the hospital “cold to the touch” on May 4, 2024, after her parents delayed seeking help and instead applied home remedies to what turned out to be fatal wounds.
Following months of legal proceedings and guilty pleas from both parents, Johnson was sentenced in October to 19 years in prison for second-degree murder. His partner, Parker, received 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse. The sentences were handed down by 4th Judicial District Judges J. LeCruise and J. Fuschetti, respectively.
Johnson and Parker were originally charged after their daughter died from a horrifying series of injuries. The case began with a call to authorities from a children’s hospital, where the parents brought the 9-day-old girl unresponsive on the afternoon of May 4. The parents initially claimed that the infant had fallen from her stroller two days earlier while Johnson was jogging. They told hospital staff they had not sought care sooner because they believed the injuries “were not all that serious” and had attempted to treat her with witch hazel, peroxide, and gauze. Only when her appetite diminished and she stopped breathing did they bring her to the hospital.
Hospital staff immediately noticed alarming signs of abuse: burns on the soles of her feet, cuts on her head and face, and bruises on her back. The story about the stroller fall quickly fell apart under scrutiny. Doctors called the police. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later determined that the baby died from blunt trauma to the head and torso. The autopsy also found deep partial-thickness burns consistent with hot liquid—which contributed to her death—and numerous broken ribs and internal injuries.
Prosecutors noted that none of her injuries were consistent with a simple fall. Investigators discovered that the parents, who were living in a tent, failed to provide any timely medical care, despite her visible suffering. Authorities could not definitively say which parent delivered the fatal injuries. However, according to the Attorney’s Office, the evidence leaned more strongly toward Johnson. While both parents denied harming the baby, their plea deals resulted in the dismissal of one charge each—Parker’s murder charge and Johnson’s child abuse charge.
Attorney R. Fatehi acknowledged the challenges in prosecuting the case, stating, “There is no victim more vulnerable than a newborn baby… she came into the world in need of love and protection from her mother and father. What she got instead was suffering and death.” He added that while the cause of death was clear, the legal complexities of proving which parent inflicted each injury meant that proceeding to trial would risk an acquittal. The office ultimately chose plea deals to ensure accountability and secure convictions.
Both parents are now behind bars, and the memory of a child who never had the chance to grow is left to echo in a community shaken by a tragedy that might have been prevented. In the aftermath, the victim’s grandfather, who had previously expressed fear for the baby’s safety, voiced his heartbreak: “Now I got to bury my granddaughter because nobody listened.” For many, the newborn’s death is not only a personal loss but a grim reminder of the cost of ignoring warning signs — and the silence that can come too late.
