Smyrna Woman Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Child Starvation Death

A Smyrna woman will spend 30 years in prison following her guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children in the 2012 starvation death of her mentally-challenged 16-year-old daughter.

Ebony Espree Berry avoids a November trial on charges including murder for the death of Markea Berry, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday. Following her prison stint, Berry must spend 10 years on probation.

Markea Berry was found dead by Cobb County police inside a home on Concord Road on June 15, 2012. She weighed only 43 pounds at the time of her death, according to the indictment returned against Berry by a Cobb County grand jury in March of 2013.

That original indictment charged Berry with murder, felony murder, and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. If she had been convicted on those charges, Berry could have spent the rest of her life behind bars.

The Berrys had a long history with child protection workers in Michigan and Georgia; in 2010, Markea ran away from home but was found the next day at a Walmart in Austell. Police said at the time that the 14-year-old had the mental capacity of a third grader.

Markea Berry’s estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Department of Family and Children’s Services in June. The suit seeks $1 million in damages, says the AJC.

Photo Credit: Cobb County Sheriff’s Office