A 24-year-old woman, Kimora Hodges, was sentenced on Nov. 4 to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of felony murder and first-degree child abuse in the 2022 death of a 22-month-old boy she was babysitting.
Authorities say the toddler, identified as Kyrie, sustained multiple traumatic injuries, including a subdural hemorrhage and bilateral retinal hemorrhages. Investigators determined those injuries were the result of blunt force trauma.
Police say Hodges initially told the child’s mother that Kyrie had swallowed soap and was having an allergic reaction. The child’s mother, Taylor Starks, has said that when she returned home Kyrie was seizing and was rushed to the hospital. Medical teams found bleeding from his ears and diagnosed life-threatening head injuries that required immediate brain surgery.
After a six-day trial in July 2025, a jury found Hodges guilty of felony murder and first-degree child abuse. On Nov. 4 the judge imposed a life sentence without parole for the murder conviction and a concurrent 15-to-40-year term for the child-abuse conviction.
"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. "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."
Following Kyrie’s death, his mother posted a tribute on social media: "I'm hurting so bad because you know you were my everything!! 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."
The case highlights the severe legal consequences for child abuse and the lasting trauma such violence inflicts on families and communities.
