Rodney McWeay trial: Man found guilty of murdering 4-year-old daughter

Rodney McWeay found guilty of murdering 4-year-old daughter

McWeay rejected a 75-year plea deal and now risks life imprisonment with the guilty verdict.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Fulton County jury has found an Atlanta father accused of starving his 4-year-old daughter to death guilty on all charges.

The jury found 32-year-old Rodney McWeay guilty of murder, kidnapping and first-degree cruelty to children, among other charges, in connection with the December 2023 death of his daughter, Treasure McWeay.

The backstory:

Treasure McWeay died just weeks before Christmas in December 2023, six months after the state removed her and her two brothers from their father's mold-infested duplex, only for him to allegedly abduct them from their mother.

Closing arguments in Rodney McWeay murder trial

The trial of an Atlanta father accused of starving his four-year-old daughter to death is nearing its end. Closing arguments took place on Tuesday afternoon and the jury has started its deliberations.

According to arrest affidavits, the children lived in squalor and isolation. Investigators say McWeay locked them in separate rooms monitored by cameras, with no access to food, water, or bathrooms. Treasure’s autopsy determined she was "extremely malnourished," weighing only 24 pounds at the time of her death.

Records show the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services made multiple attempts to intervene in the months before Treasure’s death, but police responses were often delayed and ineffective. In one incident caught on bodycam, an Atlanta officer said, "Even if, say we knock on the door and the kids are in there, there’s nothing at all we can do."

Treasure McWeay, 4, died Dec. 11 after allegedly being starved to death by her father. She's seen here in a photo provided by a family friend.

Dig deeper:

During the trial, jurors heard emotional testimony from a pediatrician who detailed troubling declines in growth and development in one of McWeay’s sons, including bruises consistent with being struck. 

"Any drop on the growth curve for a child is abnormal," the doctor testified.

Dr. Keely Iannelli, who examined Treasure, told jurors the girl died of cardiac arrest caused by prolonged malnutrition. 

"The heart is the last to go," she said.

A nurse described how one of the boys devoured food so quickly at the hospital he had to be stopped to prevent vomiting. 

"He didn’t know when to stop," she said.

Last week, a state child protection investigator testified she found the children locked in a room during a welfare check months before Treasure’s death. 

"This is how I have my kids trained," she recalled McWeay saying as he snapped his fingers and directed his daughter to sit silently.

PREVIOUS STORIES

• Rodney McWeay murder trial: DFCS testifies about 4-year-old Treasure's living conditions
• Rodney McWeay trial: Pediatrician testifies about child's early growth
• Rodney McWeay murder trial: DFCS investigator testifies about welfare checks
• Rodney McWeay faces trial: Father accused of kidnapping and starving daughter to death
• Bodycams show Atlanta police doing bare minimum to find 3 kids in peril

What's next:

McWeay rejected a 75-year plea deal and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

With the guilty verdict, he faces multiple life sentences.

He will be sentenced in the next 30 days and can appeal the conviction.