Man Accused of Killing 1-Year-Old Has No Plea Offer

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

A man accused of killing a 1-year-old baby has not had a plea offer from the prosecution.

Paul Dion Hardy Jr., 33, 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 your custody, first and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment.

According to CBS Baltimore, Hardy was arrested for the death of Zariea Dixon. Dixon suffered injuries causing her to stop breathing on Oct. 8, 2020 at a residence near the 600 block of Mosher Street. She was declared brain dead and removed from life support three days later. Dixon was arrested in Georgia in July of this year and extradited to Baltimore. According to charging documents, Hardy was the child’s go-brother.

A pretrial conference was held for Hardy during reception court on Oct. 19.

The prosecution had recently taken this case over and said they needed more time to consult experts to make a meaningful offer.

Hardy is scheduled to return to reception court on Dec. 20.

Follow this case