Rodney McWeay, a Georgia father, was arrested on charges of starving his 4-year-old daughter Treasure McWeay to death. A Fulton County jury found him guilty of all charges. The jury found McWeay guilty of all 14 charges brought up by the prosecutor. These charges include malice murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and contributing to a minor’s delinquency.
Rodney was sentenced on June 17, 2025. The verdict was issued a little over a week after the trial began. It also marked the end of one of the most traumatic child abuse cases in the recent history of the state.
In Courtroom footage, one can see McWeay being mostly expressionless when the jury announced its decision. However, it showed the lack of empathy and affection from Rodney McWeay’s side after she suffered unspeakable pain under his supervision.
During the trial, prosecutors showed evidence that this was not an isolated incident. They described a frightening pattern of repeated torture and malnutrition. According to medical reports, tiny Treasure weighed only 24 pounds when she died on December 11, 2023. This is almost half the weight of a healthy kid of her age.
Tonight at 10, another violent incident in the @FultonSheriff jail: A man charged with starving his own daughter to death, stabbed in a botched robbery. What Rodney McWeay allegedly did with a shank, from the @FOX5Atlanta #ITeam pic.twitter.com/R1TuARivew
— Johnny Edwards (@JohnnyEdwardsX) August 13, 2024
She had less than an ounce of water in her system when physicians tried to revive her at Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital in Atlanta.
The treasure was discovered unresponsive at McWeay’s house in southwest Atlanta. Authorities responded following the discovery, but it was too late by then. Aside from Treasure, her two brothers also lived in the house with their father. They were also taken to the hospital and were admitted for severe malnutrition and other health difficulties.
Doctors, investigators, and police authorities were appalled by the physical and mental neglect of these children by their own father.
A Fulton County jury has found Rodney McWeay guilty on all counts in the death of his 4 y/o daughter, Treasure McWeay, who was starved to death in December 2023.
Charges include malice murder, felony murder, child cruelty, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. pic.twitter.com/dH0nf4R99s
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) June 18, 2025
Prosecutors described McWeay’s home as a “house of horrors.” There were surveillance cameras both inside and outside of the house. Cameras were set up even aimed directly at the children’s bed.
There was no food or children’s clothing anywhere to be found on the property. McWeay allegedly imprisoned his children in a separate room, and he would only let them out when he felt like it or when he expressed his content.
This was a totalitarian control. Investigators have called that the children were somehow surviving under a control freak father.
McWeay imposed severe restrictions on his children. He subjected them to psychological torture and denied them access to basic requirements. “He controlled everything, so no one got in—not even law enforcement,” said Deputy District Attorney Marshal Hodge, “Until Treasure died.”
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services had intervened just a month before the tragedy. The agency then acquired custody of the children in June 2023, when a report of substandard housing conditions was placed.
4-year-old kidnapped, murdered: Rodney McWeay denied bond https://t.co/padFNdqOAm
— Black 007 (@Curtez007) January 24, 2024
But within a week, McWeay allegedly traveled to Maryland, where the children’s mother lived. He then stole her car and brought the children back to Georgia without any authorization.
Despite previous involvement, McWeay slipped through the cracks of the system until Treasure’s death. After her death, authorities conducted surveillance of the house. After two weeks, McWeay was detained while he was leaving through his front door.
During the trial, McWeay’s defense attorney tried to make a case for him, saying that the father made a few wrong decisions, but he never wanted to hurt the kids. This argument was immediately dismissed by the jury, and the condition of the kids was evidence of its own.
Rodney McWeay is now awaiting sentencing. It is expected that he will serve the remainder of his life in prison. The horrifying death of his daughter has revived the discussion of a systematic failure of how society fails its children and how it is important to do so.
