Roseville babysitter gets life in prison for killing toddler
Kimora Hodges
ROSEVILLE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Roseville woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after murdering a child she was babysitting three years ago.
Kimora Hodges, 24, received a life without parole sentence for a felony murder conviction, and 15-40 years for first-degree child abuse.
The backstory:
The 22-month-old victim, who was named Kyrie, suffered a severe brain injury while being watched by Hodges in June 2022. He lived without brain activity for about a week after the abuse that caused the injury before dying.
According to Kyrie's mother, Taylor Starks, Hodges had first contacted her about how the boy was sleeping. Hodges later said Kyrie had eaten soap and was having an allergic reaction. Starks said she believed this until Kyrie was taken to a hospital.
"He had blunt force trauma to the head, and he was bleeding out his ears and had to have immediate brain surgery," Starks said. "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."
A jury found Hodges guilty in late July.
"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 Pete Lucido said. "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."
Dig deeper:
According to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office, Hodges' trial took so long because she appealed a trial court ruling that declined to suppress two statements.
The prosecutor's office said that she argued that the statements were made after she had requested an attorney. The central issue on appeal was whether Hodges had unambiguously invoked her right to counsel during interrogation. If she had, officers were required to immediately stop questioning and could not resume until counsel was present, but the Court of Appeals ultimately ruled that one statement must be suppressed, while the other could be admitted.
The Source: This information is from previous reporting and the Maomb County Prosecutor's Office.