A judge handed down a life sentence plus 155 years to Rodney McWeay for the starvation death of his daughter. The 33-year-old father was convicted last month in Fulton County.
🚨 What Happened: McWeay was found guilty of felony murder, child cruelty, kidnapping and false imprisonment after his 4-year-old daughter Treasure died from dehydration and malnourishment in December 2023.
- Police discovered Treasure unresponsive in a southwest Atlanta home, according to authorities
- Medical examiners determined the cause of death was neglect
🔍 Between the Lines: Evidence showed McWeay had abducted his three children from their mother in Maryland months before Treasure’s death.
- Georgia’s Division of Family & Children Services had previously removed the children from McWeay’s home after finding them locked in separate rooms without food, water or air conditioning
- Despite this intervention, McWeay regained access to the children
⚖️ Why It Matters: This case exposes critical failures in child protection systems that led to a preventable death.
💔 The Big Picture: Child welfare advocates point to this case as an example of how vulnerable children can fall through cracks in the system. District Attorney Fani Willis called the case “a heartbreaking reminder of what can happen when young children are cut off from safety and support.”
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
