A South Carolina father has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to homicide by child abuse in the tragic death of his 4-year-old daughter, Hope Fields.
According to Richland County authorities, Wilbur Fields, 35, admitted to submerging Hope in scalding water as punishment for soiling herself. On February 27, 2024, Fields and his wife, Fifi Hill-Fields, 32, brought Hope to the hospital with severe first-degree burns.
She was unresponsive upon arrival and later died after being removed from life support.
Medical staff immediately notified law enforcement after observing that Hope had broken bones and had suffered multiple cardiac arrests while being transported to the hospital.
Mother Charged with Murder, Trial Pending
Hill-Fields, who was present during the abuse but allegedly failed to intervene, has been charged with murder and is awaiting trial. Authorities revealed that three other children were in the home at the time of the incident—two of whom witnessed the abuse. Social services have since removed the children from the household.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott stated that when Hope was taken off life support, neither of her parents were present. Instead, three police investigators remained by her side to ensure she did not pass away alone.
Fields will serve his 50-year sentence without the possibility of parole.
