Atlanta parents charged with starving baby waive hearing
The parents of a 5 1/2-month-old southwest Atlanta baby who died of malnutrition waived their first appearance hearing Friday.
Tina Hanna, 25, and Lefty Hodge, 42, parents of the infant who weighed six pounds at the time of his death, were arrested Thursday and charged with murder. They also face charges of cruelty to children and are being held without bond in Fulton County Jail. They had been scheduled for a hearing at 11 a.m. at the jail, but declined to appear.
Magistrate Judge Maureen Malone scheduled their next court date for 9 a.m. on Oct. 7.
Mombera Hanna died from protein and calorie malnutrition, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Wednesday.
The state Department of Family and Children Services had already taken the couple's two other children, ages 1 and 4, after their youngest was discovered not breathing on Sept. 3.
The little boy was transported from their apartment on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Atlanta to Hughes Spalding Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"[The baby] was extremely thin and appeared to be malnourished and dehydrated," said Atlanta police Detective Summer Benton. The parents said Mombera had "always been that way," said Benton, adding the couple's other two children appeared in much better physical condition.
Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
