Parents Sentenced After Claiming 9-Day-Old Baby Died from Stroller Fall: ‘She Got Suffering and Death,’ Prosecutor Says

A Virginia couple has received prison sentences following the 2024 death of their 9-day-old baby girl.

According to a media release from the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, Hilary Darnell Johnson II, 24, and his wife, Z’Ibreyea Shantel Parker, 22, brought their newborn daughter, Iijayah, to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk on May 4, 2024.

When hospital staff examined the infant, they found her unresponsive and “cold to the touch.” She was later pronounced dead.

Johnson and Parker told medical personnel that their baby had fallen from her stroller two days earlier while Johnson was jogging. They claimed they treated her at home using witch hazel and gauze, deciding to seek medical care only after noticing that her appetite had decreased and she was struggling to breathe.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office stated that the parents “struggled to provide a precise birthdate for their daughter and laughed while checking in.” Hospital staff also noticed multiple injuries on the baby, including burns on her feet, cuts on her head and face, and bruises on her back. Authorities were immediately contacted.

An autopsy later determined that Iijayah had died from blunt trauma inconsistent with a stroller fall.

While both parents denied harming the baby, investigators were unable to determine which one had inflicted the fatal injuries, though evidence “pointed more strongly to Mr. Johnson,” the release said.

Johnson accepted a plea deal in August and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. On Oct. 24, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison, the maximum penalty for that offense.

Parker also took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to child abuse. On Oct. 31, she received 10 years in prison, which is the maximum sentence allowed in Virginia for felony child abuse.

During sentencing, Judge Jennifer L. Fuschetti highlighted “how malnourished the baby had been” and the continued lack of explanation for her injuries in her decision to impose the full sentence.

“There is no victim more vulnerable than a newborn baby,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi in a statement. “Iijayah came into the world in need of love and protection from her mother and father. What she got instead was suffering and death.”

Fatehi added that the case was difficult because each parent could have blamed the other for the child’s injuries. “We secured convictions in both cases and left sentencing to the wisdom of the judge. We will continue to honor the memory of innocent victims like Iijayah who cannot speak for themselves,” he said.

Authorities have not confirmed who is currently representing Johnson and Parker.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free, confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.