Nationwide — Kimora Hodges, a 24-year-old African American woman from Roseville, Michigan, will spend the rest of her life in prison for killing a toddler she was hired to care for. The 22-month-old boy, named Kyrie, died in 2022 after suffering severe brain injuries caused by Hodges.
In June 2022, Hodges was babysitting Kyrie while his mother, Taylor Starks, was at work. Starks said Hodges first messaged her about how Kyrie was sleeping, then later claimed he had eaten soap and was having an allergic reaction. Starks believed the story until doctors uncovered the truth after Kyrie was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors found that the child had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, bleeding from his ears, and required emergency brain surgery. He remained unresponsive for nearly a week before dying from his injuries.
“All I know is she threw my son into the wall and shook him up pretty bad,” Starks told Fox 2 Detroit. “They said that’s just a bit of what she did to him.”
In July, a jury found Hodges guilty of felony murder and first-degree child abuse. She received a life sentence without parole for the murder and an additional 15 to 40 years for the abuse charge.
Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime. “The defendant’s actions resulted in the tragic death of an innocent child,” he said. “The court has imposed a life sentence without the possibility of parole to hold her fully accountable.”
The case took longer to reach trial after Hodges appealed a ruling on her police statements. She argued that officers continued questioning her after she asked for a lawyer. The Michigan Court of Appeals eventually decided to suppress one statement but allowed another to be used in court.