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Mother accused of starving toddler daughter to death yawned, slouched in court

Gwinnett County, Georgia mother Devin Moon in court Friday on charges related to the death of her 3-year-old daughter from malnutrition. Moon is facing charges of felony murder and cruelty to children. Photo: WSB-TV

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The mother accused of starving her nearly 3-year-old daughter to death yawned and slumped in her seat as she faced a judge Friday.

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Devin Moon, 29 sat inside court and tried to shield her face from the camera.

Moon asked the judge a bizarre question right before the hearing, WSB-TV reported.

"Are they here for me?" Moon asked, pointing at our cameras.

"No, they're here because of you," the judge quickly responded.

The judge charged Moon with felony murder and cruelty to children.

Gwinnett County police said Moon called 911 last week and told dispatch her daughter was unresponsive and cold to the touch.

When paramedics rushed to the home, the little girl was dead.

Police arrested Moon on Wednesday after the medical examiner determined the nearly-3-year-old girl died from malnutrition.

“She was emaciated, very, very thin, and she was found to be 14 pounds at almost 3 years old, which is less than half of what she should have been," Jake Smith, with the Gwinnett County Police Department, told Washington.

Police say moon told detectives her daughter was born with a medical condition that made it hard for the child to gain weight.

But Washington confirmed that Moon's family has reported her to the Division of Family and Children Services in the past.

The judge appointed Moon an attorney before sending her back to jail. She is due back in court for a preliminary hearing in August.