A man from South Carolina has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for causing the death of his 4-year-old daughter.
Wilbur Fields, 35, admitted to abusing his daughter, Hope Fields, leading to her death. In February 2024, he and his wife, Fifi Hill-Fields, 32, took Hope to the hospital with severe burns. She was unresponsive when they arrived and passed away two days later after being taken off life support.
Investigators say Fields admitted to putting Hope in scalding water as punishment for wetting herself. Doctors discovered that she had serious burns, broken bones, and suffered multiple heart attacks on the way to the hospital. Hospital staff immediately alerted the police.
Hill-Fields, who allegedly saw the abuse but did nothing to stop it, has been charged with murder and is waiting for her trial. Authorities also found three other children in the home, two of whom witnessed the incident. Social services has since taken them into custody.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that when Hope was taken off life support, her parents were not there. Only three police investigators stayed by her side so she wouldn’t be alone in her final moments.
There is no set date yet for Hill-Fields’ next court appearance.
