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.
Both parents insisted they did not harm their daughter, telling police they treated her wounds with witch hazel, peroxide, and gauze after the alleged fall. Rather than calling 911 when her condition worsened, the couple reportedly took public transportation to the hospital once they realized the baby was no longer breathing.
Prosecutors said that when the parents arrived at the hospital, they struggled to recall their baby’s exact birthdate and laughed during check-in, dismissing her injuries as minor.
Local court records show that Parker told hospital staff the wounds “were not all that serious.”
Court Proceedings and Sentences
In August 2025, Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, while Parker pleaded guilty to child abuse with serious injury. Under the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Parker and the child abuse count against Johnson.
On October 2025, a Norfolk judge sentenced Johnson to 19 years in prison—the maximum sentence allowed under his plea agreement. Parker was sentenced to 10 years, also the maximum for her conviction.
Prosecutors had asked for just three years behind bars for Parker, while her defense requested time served (roughly 16 months). The judge rejected those requests, citing the severity of the crime and the vulnerability of the victim.
“This was a difficult case on the facts,” Fatehi said. “While there was no doubt about the nature of I’ijayah’s injuries, each parent could have blamed the other for inflicting them. We secured convictions in both cases and left sentencing to the wisdom of the court.”
Background and Family History
Investigators later discovered that Johnson, Parker, and their baby were homeless, living in a tent under a highway overpass in Norfolk.
Johnson’s father, Hilary Johnson Sr., told local reporters he had previously warned the hospital about his son’s and Parker’s instability.
“I said I feared for the girl’s life,” Johnson Sr. said. “Now, I’ve got to bury my granddaughter because nobody listened.”
He added that both parents had struggled with mental health issues, saying, “They were bright kids. I don’t know what in the world snapped into them to live the way they were living.”
The Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where I’ijayah was born, released a statement saying it follows strict policies to report and investigate suspicions of child abuse or neglect in compliance with state law.
Broader Implications and Public Reaction
The case has renewed calls for stronger child welfare oversight and better screening for at-risk newborns, particularly in families facing homelessness or mental health challenges.
Advocates say that hospitals and child services need more resources to intervene early in similar situations to prevent tragedy.
“This case is a heartbreaking reminder that even the youngest lives can fall through the cracks,” one local advocate said. “We must do better to protect children like I’ijayah.”
Conclusion
The sentencing of Hilary Johnson II and Z’ibreyea S. Parker brings some measure of closure to a case that left even seasoned prosecutors shaken. As Norfolk’s Commonwealth’s Attorney stated, justice may have been served, but no sentence can restore the life of a child who never had a chance to live.
What are your thoughts on this case and the justice served? Share your opinions in the comments below.
