Trigger Warning: This article contains references to alleged child abuse and murder that some readers may find distressing.
Prosecutors in North Carolina announced on Tuesday that they will seek the death penalty against a Charlotte woman accused of participating in the fatal starvation and abuse of six-year-old Dominique Moody. During an August 11 court hearing, the state formally declared its intent to pursue capital punishment for her guardian, Tonya McKnight, in connection with the December 2025 death of Moody.
McKnight is one of three women facing first-degree murder charges in the case, along with two other suspects named Tery’n McKnight and Susan Robinson. The trio was initially arrested by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on child abuse charges following the child’s death late last year. However, grand juries later handed down murder indictments as details of the mistreatment emerged.
Prosecutors allege the young girl was subjected to severe starvation, physical beatings, and extreme criminal neglect before succumbing to her injuries.
According to the arrest affidavit, child witnesses told forensic investigators that Moody was confined to a small dog crate inside the residence. She was bound with black duct tape and beaten with a belt by McKnight.
Phone records obtained during a December 19 search unveiled text messages between McKnight and co-defendant Robinson. The messages contained photos of the six-year-old duct-taped to the living room floor with swollen hands and feet.
🇺🇸 As disturbing as it sounds, Mecklenburg prosecutors are going for the death penalty in the torture death of a 6-year-old.
Tonya McKnight, the girl’s legal guardian, is the target.
Dominique Moody weighed 27 pounds when she was found unresponsive.
She had been starved,…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 11, 2026
Investigators noted the child was withheld food for days at a time while forced to watch others eat and was left in unchanged, soiled diapers for extended periods, which caused severe chemical burn-like rashes and skin damage. Authorities estimate the horrific treatment spanned approximately 1.5 years.
Systemic abuse and neglect by the three women caused the death of the child.
“The residence was extremely unkempt, with a strong odor of feces and urine. The residence was cluttered, and numerous rats were scurrying through it. The residence had a mixture of animal and human feces throughout. Several holes leading to the exterior of the residence were also located in the floor and ceiling. The residence had no centralized heat. The oven in the kitchen, a space heater in the living room, and a space heater in a bedroom were the only sources of heat. The space heater in the living room sat on a concrete block on the floor, pointed towards a cot in front of the couch. The heater was approximately 2 feet from the cot,” the affidavit revealed.
“…The victim’s hair, nails, and body were dirty. She had open wounds and scarring in various stages of healing covering most of her body. The victim was extremely small and reported by hospital staff to weigh only 27 pounds. She had a healed ligature mark going all the way around her right ankle and linear healed scars on top of her right arm. On top of her right foot and outer right leg were healed circular scars.”
“The victim had an open circular wound on the outer left ankle, which appeared to be a burn. She had various minor open wounds on her knees, face, arms, and legs. The most significant injuries were defects to her genitalia and buttocks. The skin on the inner thighs, genitalia, hips, and buttocks was darkened and wrinkled, with numerous fresh wounds. She also had wounds in various stages of healing on her upper thighs and hips.”
Prosecutors are taking the extremely rare step of seeking the death penalty in Mecklenburg County. All three women were denied bond in February and remain held without bail as the capital case moves forward.
Moody’s death remains a rarest of rare instances of child abuse and neglect in the state of North Carolina. The state has enacted the “Dominique Moody Safety Act,” a landmark child welfare legislation to prevent severe abuse and fatalities through heightened state oversight. Signed into law this summer, the legislation allocates $650,000 to establish a specialized state escalation team to protect children from severe abuse.
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public record.
