Sentencing and Conviction
Jeanie Kassandra Ditty, 33, of North Carolina, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury in Fayetteville found her guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Macy Grace. The jury deliberated for three hours before returning the verdict, as reported by the New York Post. The Daily Star also reported that Ditty was found guilty and sentenced to life behind bars with no release.
In addition to the life sentence, Ditty received a consecutive term of 157 to 201 months for child abuse, according to the New York Post. Ditty filed an appeal immediately after the verdict and needed to be restrained in the courtroom before sentencing, according to district attorneys, as reported by the Daily Star.
The Death of Macy Grace
Macy Grace was rushed to a hospital in December 2015 with extensive bruising and trauma indicative of severe physical abuse, according to prosecutors, as reported by the New York Post. A CT scan revealed non-survivable brain injuries sustained within the prior 8 to 24 hours, a period during which Ditty was the sole caregiver with access to the child, prosecutors said, as reported by the New York Post. The child suffered at least 40 separate physical blows, according to both the New York Post and the Daily Star.
Macy's paternal grandmother, Tina Goodwin, told CBS News, as quoted by the Daily Star: "The only part of her body which didn't have a bruise was part of her face." Macy was diagnosed with brain injuries and died on December 4, 2015, just days before her third birthday, as reported by the Daily Star. The New York Post reported that Macy died two days after being hospitalized.
Doctors placed Macy on life support while her father, who was on deployment with the US Army, rushed home to say goodbye, as reported by the Daily Star. Both parents were active-duty US Army soldiers, according to the New York Post and the Daily Star.
The 'Afterlife' Photos
Weeks after Macy's death, Ditty contacted photographer Sunny Jo to commission "afterlife" photos from his "One More Time" package, which superimposes a translucent image of a deceased loved one into a photo with surviving relatives, as reported by the Daily Star. The New York Post reported that Ditty told Jo her daughter had died by choking on a banana, which caused seizures and loss of oxygen to the brain.
Jo offered the package to Ditty as a gift, waiving the normal $300 to $500 cost, he told ABC News, as reported by the New York Post. "She offered to pay, and honestly, I couldn't do it. It was a gift for what I thought was a grieving mother at the time," Jo said, as quoted by the New York Post.
The photos showed Ditty walking hand-in-hand in a graveyard with Macy, reading to her, and staring at a memorial with her daughter's hand on her shoulder, as reported by the New York Post. Ditty's father, Zachary Keefer, took the photos and sent them to Jo, who spent two to three weeks creating the images, according to the New York Post.
Jo later learned the real circumstances of Macy's death and contacted police, prompting Ditty to hand herself in on March 24, 2016, as reported by the Daily Star. Ditty was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury in 2016, according to the Daily Star.
Jo called working with Ditty the "biggest mistake" of his career but said he was pleased he had given the slain child "a voice," as reported by the New York Post.
Trial History
Ditty's first trial in 2020 ended with a hung jury following a 10-2 vote in favor of her guilt, as reported by both the New York Post and the Daily Star. Jury selection for the second trial began earlier this month, with 16 witnesses testifying, according to both outlets. The second trial concluded with the guilty verdict and life sentence.
Tina Goodwin, Macy's paternal grandmother, said after the sentencing: "Justice has finally been served," as quoted by the Daily Star.