A Michigan woman has been sentenced to life in prison for killing a 22-month-old boy in her care.
Kimora Hodges, 24, was found guilty in July 2025 of felony murder and first-degree child abuse following a six-day trial, according to a press release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office issued Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Hodges was originally charged in June 2022 after the child’s death. Investigators determined the boy had suffered multiple injuries, including a subdural hemorrhage and bilateral retinal hemorrhages, the release stated.
At the time of the incident, WDIV, citing police, reported that Hodges called the child’s mother, 18-year-old Taylor Starks, and claimed 22-month-old Kyrie was having an allergic reaction after ingesting soap. When Starks arrived home, however, Kyrie was reportedly experiencing seizures and was rushed to the hospital.
“He had blunt force trauma to the head, and he was bleeding out his ears and had to have immediate brain surgery,” Starks told WJBK. “All I know is she threw my son into the wall and shook him up pretty bad, and they said that’s just a bit of what she did to him.”
On Nov. 4, Hodges was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder conviction, along with an additional term of 15 to 40 years for the child abuse charge.
“The sentence handed down today reflects the severity of the crime committed. The defendant’s actions resulted in the tragic death of an innocent child, and the court has imposed a life sentence without the possibility of parole to hold her fully accountable,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a statement. “Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family, whose lives have been forever changed by this senseless act. The justice system has a duty to protect the most vulnerable, and today’s sentence underscores that duty.”
After Kyrie’s death, Starks shared a heartbreaking tribute to her son on Instagram.
“I’m hurting so bad because you know you were my everything!!” she wrote. “I had you at 16 by myself and we been doing this together ever since. We were growing up together. No matter how bad we struggled or was going thru, you never judged me.”
