Michigan -A Michigan woman was found guilty on one count of murder for killing a 1-year-old child while in her care. According to the court documents, the defendant killed 1-year-old Kiri three years ago while taking care of the chiId. The verdict stems from evidence that the defendant, 21-year-old K. Hoges, severely injured the child by throwing him against a waII, causing fataI bIunt force head trauma.
The charges filed against the young woman began in June 2022, when she was looking after the child while the victim’s mom was at work. Reports indicate that between approximately 3:30 p.m. and midnight, the defendant injured the child. She then contacted the mother, TayIor , claiming her son did not look normal and blaming his condition on an allergic reaction to eating detergent.
Alarmed, the victim’s mom rushed home and found her child suffering seizures: “Once I made it there my baby was on the ground having seizure, after seizure, after seizure,” she later recounted. Emergency responders were called, and the boy was transported to the hospital overnight. Doctors discovered the child had sustained bIunt force head trauma, was bIeeding from his ears, and required immediate brain surgery.
The child succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter. His death elevated the charges against the woman from first-degree child abuse to felony murder.
Investigators arrested the defendant hours after the child was admitted to the hospital—around 7:50 a.m. the following morning. During the interrogation, she admitted to physically abusing the child but claimed she did not intend to harm him. As she put it, “Maybe I hit him too hard, but I didn’t take my anger out on him.”
Legal proceedings included the defendant’s motion to suppress portions of her statement to police, arguing her right to counsel was not respected when she said, “I need a lawyer.” The Michigan Court of Appeals agreed that the refusal to honor her request was erroneous, remanding that part of the case for further proceedings.
Throughout the ordeal, the victim’s mother felt deeply betrayed. She had initially trusted the defendant, who was a neighbor and friend she often relied on for babysitting. She accepted the explanation that the child’s condition was due to a detergent allergy—until doctors showed her how severe the injuries really were. In a heartfelt GoFundMe post, she shared that she believed Hodges until the medical professionals told her the truth, expressing how much the betrayal hurt because she would have done anything for Hodges and her daughter.
Michigan authorities responded to the hospital after being notified of a child’s admission with life‑threatening head trauma. The medical and law enforcement response triggered a thorough investigation that ultimately led to charges, a trial, and a verdict. The defendant, now 24, faces up to life in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for October 2, 2025
