Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced his office will pursue the death penalty against Keisha Monique Epps, 51, and Tamra Marshon Stewart, 37, for allegedly subjecting four children to horrific abuse and confinement within the cab of a tractor-trailer for nearly seven years. The children, two girls and two boys aged 5 to 9, endured years of sexual battery, molestation, and neglect, trapped in what Uthmeier described as a “rolling prison.” Stewart, identified as Epps’ fiancé, allegedly committed sexual batteries against one of the girls and physically assaulted the boys when they witnessed the abuse. Epps, who worked as a truck driver on routes between Miami and Atlanta, is accused of allowing the abuse to continue and calling the children derogatory names. The children were deprived of basic hygiene, exercise, and proper meals, forced to use the bathroom in cups and bags, and left locked in the truck while the adults showered or slept. They suffered untreated injuries, including sexually transmitted infections and severe burns that left permanent scarring, and had not attended school for approximately five years. Florida law permits prosecutors to seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexual battery against a child younger than 12, a charge both Epps and Stewart face, alongside multiple counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement.
Adapted from: U.S. News Today on Fox News
