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By
Andrew Michaels
- December 22, 2021
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A 33-year-old Baltimore man rejected a plea to life on Dec. 20 for his alleged role in the death of a 1-year-old baby last year.
Paul Dion Hardy Jr. is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree child abuse resulting in death under the age of 13, first-degree child abuse resulting in severe physical injury, second-degree child abuse of a child in custody, first and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment.
On Monday, the prosecution offered Hardy a plea of life for first-degree murder, which the defendant rejected before his defense attorney, Catherine Flynn.
Flynn informed Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. Phinn that the case will go to trial before a panel of judges, and she has requested assistance from the Office of the Public Defender to get three expert witnesses. The defense attorney said the case relies heavily on medical evidence and asked to delay the case until she has the experts’ availability.
Judge Phinn agreed to postpone the case to Jan. 28, 2022.
Hardy was arrested for the death of Zariea Dixon, who suffered injuries causing her to stop breathing on Oct. 8, 2020, at a residence near the 600 block of Mosher Street, according to CBS Baltimore.
The baby was declared brain dead and removed from life support three days later.
The defendant was arrested in Georgia this past July and extradited to Baltimore.