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.”
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
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.
