Left: Z’ibreyea S. Parker. Right: Hilary Johnson II (Norfolk Police Department). Inset: I’ijayah Johnson (GoFundMe).
A Virginia woman admitted guilt following the death of her daughter, who was only 9 days old, with burns and fractures throughout her body, which the new mother considered “were not all that serious,” as per authorities.
At the age of 24, Z’ibreyea S. Parker admitted to child abuse causing severe injury in relation to the death of her daughter, I’ijayah Johnson, according to court documents. The child’s father, 22-year-old Hilary Johnson II, confessed to second-degree murder earlier in the month.
The Norfolk Police Department reported that officers responded to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters around 1:15 p.m. on May 4, 2024, for an inquiry into child abuse. Authorities discovered that the girl arrived at the hospital unresponsive and “showing signs of abuse.” She was pronounced dead by hospital staff.
Two days afterward, the medical examiner concluded the death was a homicide, leading to charges of second-degree murder and child abuse against Parker and Johnson. As a result of the plea deal, prosecutors decided to drop the murder charge against Parker.
The local CBS affiliate WTKR, referencing court documents, stated the girl had “severe burns on both feet and splash burns on other parts of her body.” Reports also indicated broken ribs, a fractured clavicle, head bruises, and signs of shaking. Despite the horrific injuries, Parker maintained that the injuries “were not all that serious.”
Investigators also discovered the parents and child were homeless and had been living in a tent under a highway.
Hilary Johnson Sr., the father of I’ijayah, mentioned that he voiced concerns to the hospital regarding the capability of his son and Parker to care for I’ijayah after her birth.
“I said I feared for the girl’s life,” he said. “What in the world else am I supposed to do? Now, I got to bury my granddaughter because nobody listened.”
In another interview with local NBC affiliate WAVY following the girl’s death, the elder Johnson said the new parents struggled with their mental health.
“They was bright kids that I don’t know what in the world snapped into them to live the way they were living,” he said. “I prayed to myself before [I’ijayah] came here and I said, ‘Lord, please let her maternal instincts kick in that she wants to protect that baby, that she don’t want to live the way she was living, that she wants more for her and her child.'”
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where the girl was born, told WTKR that it has polices to “ensure that suspicions of child abuse or neglect and other reportable concerns are investigated in accordance with the law.”
The younger Johnson and Parker are slated to be sentenced on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31, respectively.
