Public domain image from dsc.nc.govMecklenburg County prosecutors will seek the death penalty against Tonya McKnight, the legal guardian accused of subjecting 6-year-old Dominique Moody to prolonged abuse before the child’s death last year. The decision makes McKnight’s prosecution the first case in which Mecklenburg prosecutors have sought the death penalty under District Attorney Spencer Merriweather. Moody’s death also prompted scrutiny of the child welfare agencies that had contact with her household before she died and legislative action. “Dominique Moody’s death could have been prevented,” Rep. Allen Chesser, R-Nash, said as he opened the hearing. “Death penalty sought in Dominique Moody case” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.