ATLANTA, GA – A Fulton County jury has found Rodney McWeay guilty on all counts in the death of his 4-year-old daughter, Treasure McWeay, who died in December 2023 after suffering from extended starvation and neglect in their Atlanta home.
Prosecutors said McWeay systematically abused, neglected, and controlled Treasure and her two younger sons over a period stretching from May 2021 until the girl’s death. When officers responded to the emergency call on December 11, 2023, Treasure had already been pronounced dead at a children’s hospital. According to medical examiners, she weighed just 24 pounds—about half what a healthy child her age should weigh—and had minimal food or water in her body.
Investigators said McWeay’s Atlanta residence showed clear evidence of severe neglect. No food or children’s clothing was found during a police search, but authorities discovered multiple surveillance cameras monitoring the children’s beds and the house’s entry points. Prosecutors described the home as an environment where the children were seldom allowed to leave their shared room without explicit permission.
Throughout the trial, the jury heard that after family services initially intervened and placed the children in protective custody in June 2023, McWeay retrieved them a week later. Police said he traveled to Maryland, took a car belonging to their mother, and brought the children back to Georgia, abandoning the car at a train station.
The prosecution argued that McWeay exerted total control, restricting the children’s movements and isolating them, which contributed to Treasure’s fatal malnutrition. Officers testified that when they arrived at the home, McWeay was not there, but his two sons were found suffering from severe malnutrition and were immediately hospitalized.
McWeay faced a total of 14 charges, among them malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, child cruelty, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Courtroom accounts revealed that McWeay remained expressionless as the verdicts were read Wednesday, more than a week into the trial.
Authorities detailed that the children were kept under such control inside the house that even law enforcement had difficulty gaining access during the time of the abuse. The children’s conditions came to light after a call to authorities about the unsatisfactory state of the home, which prompted the initial involvement of family services.
The jury’s decision followed testimony that painted a grim picture of life for Treasure and her brothers, describing it as a “house of horrors.” In closing arguments, the assistant district attorney stressed the extent of McWeay’s coercive control and the tragic outcome for the children involved.
McWeay’s attorney maintained that while the father had made fatal errors in judgment, he never intended to harm his children. The defense was unable to persuade the jury, which delivered guilty verdicts on all counts.
Rodney McWeay is expected to be sentenced in the coming weeks and faces the virtual certainty of spending the rest of his life in prison.