Baltimore Parents Get 60 Years for Starvation Death

Bernice and Gerald Byrd were each sentenced to life in prison, with all but 60 years suspended, after pleading guilty to child abuse resulting in the 2024 starvation death of their 5-year-old daughter, Zona, and abuse of their malnourished son. The judge called the case among the most disturbing she had seen, holding the parents responsible while also condemning social services for failing to act on repeated reports of neglect. The sentence bars the couple from contacting their surviving children if released; it also includes supervised probation.