Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office will seek the death penalty for Keisha Epps, 51, and Tamra Stewart, 37, who are accused of confining four children in the cab of a tractor-trailer and committing sexual abuse and neglect.
Epps, a truck driver, and Stewart, her fiancé, allegedly kept two girls and two boys—aged 5, 5, 6, and 9—in the truck cab for more than six years. The children reported that they were deprived of basic necessities such as showers, restroom access, and outdoor exercise. They were reportedly forced to use cups and paper bags for waste and were left in the truck while Epps drove or when the adults slept or showered.
Uthmeier described the situation as children being trapped in a "rolling prison." He stated that Florida law permits prosecutors to seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexual battery against a child younger than 12. "We will pursue with everything we have the death penalty. We will seek executions, if you want to come in here [in Florida] and you want to physically molest, abuse, and violate our little kids," Uthmeier said at a news conference.
Investigators reported that the children suffered severe physical infirmities as a result of the alleged abuse and confinement. They stated that the children had not attended school for approximately five years and walked with an "unnatural gait" due to being confined to the small space. The children also allegedly received poor nutrition and no medical or dental care. Two of the children sustained untreated burns that resulted in significant scarring, with one girl suffering a permanent scar from a burn caused by cooked noodles, for which she did not receive medical treatment.
Stewart is charged with two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of battery of a child by expelling certain fluids or materials, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, and two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement. Epps faces charges including two counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority, two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation of a child under 12, two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement, and four counts of failure to report child abuse.
Stewart reportedly told investigators he committed three sexual batteries against one of the girls. The children also told authorities they witnessed Epps observing the abuse and that she used derogatory names toward one of them while leaving them with Stewart. One of the children was found to have an untreated sexually transmitted infection.
All four children shared a bunk in the cab that was small enough that they had to sleep curled up side by side. Epps and Stewart were arrested on August 6 and remain in jail awaiting trial. Epps is represented by Florida’s Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, and Stewart is represented by the Duval County Office of the Public Defender. Neither office had responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.