ATLANTA, Ga. - A man convicted last month of starving his daughter to death in 2023 has learned his sentence.

According to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, Rodney McWeay, 33, was sentenced to life in prison, plus 155 years.

McWeay was previously found guilty of more than a dozen counts, including felony murder, first-degree child cruelty, kidnapping and false imprisonment.

“This case is a heartbreaking reminder of what can happen when young children are cut off from safety and support,” District Attorney Fani Willis said.

The case began on Dec. 11, 2023, when police were called to a home in southwest Atlanta and found 4-year-old Treasure McWeay unresponsive.

Authorities said she, along with her two brothers, was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, where she was pronounced dead.

Treasure died of dehydration and malnourishment due to neglect, the medical examiner’s office said.

“Treasure suffered from hunger, thirst, and neglect at the hands of her father, who used violence and control to keep her and her brothers from the help they needed,” Willis said.

During the investigation, police learned McWeay had kidnapped his three children from their mother in Maryland, the district attorney’s office said.

About two weeks before the abduction, the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services had removed the three from his home when they were found locked in separate rooms with no food, water or air conditioning.

“I’m grateful to our investigators, prosecutors, and the community members who helped bring justice for Treasure, and I continue to pray for her surviving siblings and their mother as they begin to heal,” Willis said.

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