Jeanie Ditty has been convicted for killing Macy Grace Ditty in December 2015
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/macy-grace-ditty-jeanie-ditty-082426-1-1e40865c920e4643a7d63fd26b6eaef5.jpg "MACY GRACE DITTY; Jeanie Ditty")
Credit: NC Conference of District Attorneys Facebook; Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Macy Grace Ditty was taken off life support on Dec. 4, 2015, ten days before her 3rd birthday
- Months before Jeanie Ditty was charged in her murder, Jeanie had commissioned an “after life” photoshoot that showed superimposed photos of her and Macy spending time reading books or walking
- After she learned her fate, Jeanie went into a tirade in the courtroom, cursing at those in the room
A North Carolina woman has been convicted more than 10 years after she killed her 2-year-old daughter.
Jeanie Ditty was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing 2-year-old Macy Grace Ditty, the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys said in a statement.
The investigation began on Dec. 2, 2015, when paramedics rushed Macy to the Cape Fear Valley Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., and medical personnel determined Macy had been subjected to “severe physical abuse,” according to the statement issued by the DA’s Conference.
Medical scans indicated Macy suffered “non-survivable brain injuries” and had “at least 40 separate physical blows,” the DA’s Conference said.
Macy was kept on life support for two more days until her father, who had been serving in the military overseas, could make an emergency return trip to the U.S. to see her, according to the statement.
She was taken off life support on Dec. 4, 2015, ten days before she was to turn 3.
Jeanie was charged with murder in March 2016.
Credit: NC Conference of District Attorneys Facebook
In the months before she was charged, Jeanie had approached a photographer for a photoshoot with superimposed photos of Macy with a halo around her.
In photos previously obtained by PEOPLE, Jeanie is seen sitting on Macy’s gravesite morosely looking on at a bouquet of flowers as Macy, in the superimposed angelic form, keeps her hand on Jeanie’s shoulder.
In another, Macy is seen reading from a book on a picnic blanket as a manufactured image of Macy shows her looking up at Jeanie, herself also holding a book.
Sunny Jo, the photographer, previously told PEOPLE he felt sorry for Jeanie when she approached him to commission the photos.
“This must be the most heartbreaking thing in the world,” Jo said at the time. “I just knew that one way or another I wanted to get the pictures done for what I thought at the time was a grieving mother.”
Jo previously told ABC News that Jeanie offered to pay him between $300 and $500 for the photos, but he declined.”
Credit: Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Facebook
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The road to justice in Macy’s murder has been long. In 2020, Jeanie’s trial resulted in a hung jury with 10-2 votes in favor of guilt, the DA’s Conference said in its statement.
When the jury exited the courtroom after delivering the verdict, Jeanie “created a severe disturbance in the courtroom, cursing and shouting at individuals present,” per the statement.
She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
