The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office will seek capital punishment in the criminal case against Tonya McKnight.
McKnight is charged with first-degree murder and other charges after police say Dominique Moody, 6, was found unresponsive in McKnight's home in December of 2025 in east Charlotte.
Moody was 27 pounds when she was found, per court records. An original affidavit noted Moody was kept in a dog crate in the living room, had wounds on her body, and was forced to sit in her soiled diapers for days. Other people who lived in the home told police the abuse had been going on for 1.5 years.
McKnight was Moody's legal guardian, per police.
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Channel 9 Crime Reporter Hunter Sáenz learned on Tuesday that McKnight's case is expected to be upgraded to capital first-degree murder.
It's a historic decision to pursue the death penalty in Mecklenburg County. Capital punishment is rarely sought by prosecutors in the county. It's the first time prosecutors will pursue the death penalty under District Attorney Spencer Merriweather's leadership.
The last time the office pursued capital punishment was in the case against Curtis Atkinson Jr. in 2017. That decision was made under former district attorney Andrew Murray. At the time, police said Atkinson Jr. shot and stabbed his parents to death.
In 2023, citing COVID concerns, the DA's office dropped the capital murder charge against Atkinson Jr. He was tried on a first degree murder charge, was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
The state hasn't executed an inmate since Aug. 18, 2006, when Samuel Flippen was executed for the murder of his 2-year-old stepdaughter.