Kira Johnson died after giving birth to her second child in 2016. All seemed well at first, but within 12 hours she was dead.

ATLANTA — "He butchered her," is how Judge Glenda Hatchett describes the C-section that preceded her daughter-in-law's death seven years ago, which happened from bleeding less than 12 hours after giving birth to a healthy baby boy, her second child.

Judge Hatchett has been an outspoken advocate on behalf of Black mothers, who face highly disproportionate mortality risk when giving birth, in the years since her daughter-in-law's death. 

Hatchett spoke to CNN over the weekend about the issue, following the announcement last week of a federal civil rights investigation into Cedars-Sinai Hospital's treatment of Black women in childbirth. 

The Los Angeles hospital is where Hatchett's daughter-in-law, Kira Johnson, died in 2016.

11Alive has reported extensively on the family's case over the years, and on the advocacy of Charles Johnson - Hatchett's son and Kira's husband. 

See 11Alive Anchor Faith Jessie's reporting on their story from last month:

Speaking to CNN's Fredicka Whitfield, Hatchett described the pain that has endured for years since Kira's death - and also her hope that the federal intervention will mark a "turning point."

Kira Johnson: Charles and Langston's mommy

"She was in great health, a marathon runner... she skydived, she had a pilot's license, she was a remarkable woman," Hatchett said of Kira. "And never, ever did I think that we would walk into that hospital and walk out without her."

Charles has shared with 11Alive previously about how he noticed blood in Kira’s catheter and brought it to the attention of the nurses and doctors, who ordered a CT scan.

It was supposed to be performed immediately, he said, but instead they waited hours as Charles repeatedly asked for help.

Charles said a CT was never performed, and they waited seven hours before doctors took her back for an internal exam. 

"'She'll be back in 15 minutes," Charles said the doctor told him. "And that was the last time I saw Kira alive."

Charles said doctors found three liters of blood in Kira’s stomach and her heart stopped immediately.

Less than 12 hours after giving birth to their second child, Kira Johnson died from a hemorrhage.

"The truth is she went in healthy, they botched it, she was butchered," Hatchett told CNN over the weekend. "The autopsy is very clear about that, and that she was allowed to hemorrhage not for an hour or two hours, but for 10 hours before they got her back to the OR (operating room)."

The star of "The Verdict with Judge Hatchett" said it was "negligence all the way." Charles previously settled a lawsuit with the hospital in his wife's death.

Hatchett said a C-section - Kira's second - should have taken about 12-15 minutes to go back through the original scar. She said instead it took less than four minutes.

"He butchered her," Hatchett said.

Despite the personal pain, she said she's encouraged by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launching an investigation at Cedars-Sinai that she called "unprecedented."

"This really is a turning point - to the Biden administration, I have to say kudos to HHS. It took a long time but we are this point now and this is going to be a major point that we can look back, and we can see the tide turn," she said.

She added that it's the family's wish, and Charles' relentless advocacy, to see nobody else have to go through this.

"To have little boys (8-year-old Langston and 7-year-old Charles) say 'well why can't Mommy come home from heaven?' … we don't want any other families to experience the horrific pain that our family has gone through," Hatchett said. "Because there's no amount of money, or settlement, that can bring her back. But we think that this is going to save other lives."