NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A couple charged in the death of their 9-day-old daughter have been granted competency and sanity evaluations.
A Norfolk judge ordered the evaluations on Thursday, the day Z’ibreyea S. Parker and Hilary D. Johnson were originally scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing.
Both Johnson and Parker have been charged with second-degree murder in the case. Court documents show the baby, I’ijayah Johnson, had lacerations, burns, bruises and other signs of abuse when she was taken to the hospital back in May.
When asked about the burns, Parker allegedly said she “did not think the injuries were all that serious,” court documents show.
Hilary Johnson Sr., the child’s grandfather, told 10 On Your Side that his son and daughter-in-law weren’t fit to be parents, that he warned hospital staff at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital that he feared for the infant’s life.
“I told them I fear for her life,” Johnson Sr. said. “Not only me, but my dad even said the same thing. So how is it that you still let that baby leave? She was never supposed to leave that hospital.”
Both Parker and Johnson are due back in court on October 23.
