A Georgia father has been convicted of starving his four-year-old daughter to death.
Rodney McWeay, a father of three from Atlanta, was convicted on June 19 of starving his daughter to death shortly before Christmas in 2023, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. McWeay, 32, was found guilty of 14 felonies in total, including the kidnapping of his children and the murder of his daughter, according to CBS affiliate WRDW.
The charges included one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder, three counts of first-degree cruelty to children, three counts of false imprisonment, three counts of contributing to a minor’s dependency, and three counts of kidnapping.
McWeay’s three children, including four-year-old Treasure McWeay, were removed from his custody in June 2023 due to unsanitary, moldy living conditions, according to Fox 5. Prosecutors claimed he kidnapped his children and held them captive in a “house of horrors,” according to NBC affiliates 11Alive and WRDW.
According to Fox 5, the children were kept in locked, separate rooms without food or water, were monitored through cameras, and were not allowed to leave the house to use the restroom.
McWeay’s neighbor, Quasheea Cokley, frequently heard screams or crying coming from McWeay’s apartment and contacted Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services (DCFS), but the agency was unable to contact the family prior to Treasure’s death, according to 11 Alive. Similarly, law enforcement’s attempts to monitor the children had failed.
According to 11 Alive, police discovered Treasure unresponsive inside McWeay’s home just days before Christmas. Treasure and her two brothers were taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Dr. Keely Iannelli testified that Treasure’s death was caused by cardiac arrest as a result of long-term malnutrition. The four-year-old weighed only 24 pounds when she died.
Earlier in the trial, McWeay’s defense attorney told the court that his client admitted he made “some wrong decisions” regarding the children’s mother, but never intended to harm the children.
McWeay’s sentencing is scheduled for 30 days, according to WRDW. McWeay previously rejected a 75-year plea deal, and he could face multiple life sentences, according to Fox 5.
