NORFOLK, Va. — Two parents were in Norfolk's Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on Wednesday, charged with second- degree murder in the death of their 9-day-old infant.
The child's death was ruled a homicide, according to the Norfolk Chief Medical Examiner's Office.
On May 4, police went to CHKD on a child protection call for an unresponsive infant showing signs of abuse, according to the Norfolk Police Department.
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Arrest warrants revealed more details about the circumstances of the child's death.
In those documents, the child was referred to as "her." Until now, we did not know the sex of the baby.
According to the warrants, the mother, 21-year-old Z'ibreyea Parker, told police she and her husband, 23-year-old Hilary Johnson, brought the baby to CHKD after waking up and finding the child unresponsive. The baby was "initially observed to have severe burns on both feet as well as splash burns on other areas of her body," police said.
The documents also stated that a subsequent autopsy revealed that the child had "several bruises on her head, broken ribs, a broken clavicle and exhibited symptoms of shaken baby."
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When asked about the burns on the child's feet, Parker told an officer she "did not think the injuries were all that serious" and had treated them with home remedies including Witch Hazel.
The parents were homeless —living in a tent near I-264 and Campostella, police said. It's unclear how long they had been living there or if they had been taking care of the baby there.
Police say that as a result of the Medical Examiner's ruling, both Johnson and Parker have now been charged with second-degree murder. They are being held in the Norfolk City Jail without bond.
They are scheduled to have bond hearings on May 14 and preliminary hearings July 18.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
