Two parents pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to fatal first-degree child abuse for starving their daughter, 5-year-old Zona Byrd, to death last October at their East Baltimore home.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Dana M. Middleton presided over their joint plea.
33-year-old Bernice Byrd and 36-year-old Gerald Byrd of Baltimore were also convicted for the starvation of Zona’s six-year-old brother, who was hospitalized at Johns Hopkins Hospital and later recovered. Their remaining two children were reportedly placed under the custody of relatives.
The parents will be sentenced this summer on June 10, and could face maximum penalties of life, suspending all but 70 years.
“No punishment will be as severe for these defendants as living with the knowledge that they murdered their innocent child,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates in an official release. “As a father, the facts of this case are nauseating, and my heart continues to ache for Zona, who is gone from us far too soon.”
On Oct. 14, 2024, officers responding to the Byrd residence on the 2200 block of Aiken Street found Zona lying on a bed in the home’s second floor—unresponsive, emaciated and “ice cold” to the touch. Zona’s sister had made the call. Medics pronounced Zona deceased that afternoon, and an autopsy revealed she weighed 17.5 pounds at the time of her death.
Zona’s 6-year-old brother, who was also found in the residence, was found similarly emaciated. Detectives noted he appeared barely able to stand, and medical staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital reported he weighed 35 pounds at the time of hospitalization. The boy was released from inpatient care on Oct. 26, 2024, after nearly two weeks of treatment.
While searching the Byrds’ home, investigators found the kitchen devoid of food, with a refrigerator containing only a salad and a freezer compartment filled with frozen meat. Inside the defendants’ locked bedroom was a locked closet containing shelf-stable food that was kept away from the children’s reach.
Upon questioning, neither parent could remember when they last fed their four children, and both deflected responsibility for feeding them. Investigators later learned from Gerald that the children would regularly search through garbage for food.
Court records show Gerald had already been convicted on assault charges in November 2019 for attacking another one of his daughters. After the girl appeared at school with a black eye, authorities learned that Gerald had forced his way into her bedroom with a knife and repeatedly attempted to stab her. A social worker spoke to the girl, who claimed Gerald attacked her because she had not cleaned her bedroom.
Gerald served five days in jail for the attack, after a plea deal landed him a suspended sentence with two years of probation. Bernice, who reportedly joined her husband in the assault, saw her case entirely dismissed.
Bernice is represented by criminal defense attorney Phillip C. Levin, and Gerald by public defender Deborah Levi.
