Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that his office intends to seek the death penalty for two adults accused of confining four children within the cab of a tractor-trailer for over six years and subjecting them to sexual abuse.
Keisha Epps, 51, and Tamra Stewart, 37, face charges including sexual battery, molestation, and neglect of two girls and two boys, aged between 5 and 9 years old. Epps, who worked as a truck driver on a route between Miami and Atlanta, and Stewart, identified as her fiancé, had been living in the truck cab with the children, according to Uthmeier.
"These children were trapped in a rolling prison and abused by the adults who were supposed to protect them," Uthmeier said during a press conference in Kissimmee. "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."
Florida law permits prosecutors to seek the death penalty for individuals convicted of sexual battery against a child younger than 12.
Court documents indicate that Stewart is accused of committing sexual batteries against one of the girls. When the two boys allegedly witnessed these acts and confronted Stewart, he reportedly beat them. The children also told authorities that they had informed Epps about the abuse and that she had witnessed it. Reports suggest Epps referred to one of the children with derogatory names and continued to leave them alone with Stewart.
Investigators detailed that the confinement extended beyond sexual abuse. The children were reportedly kept in the truck cab without adequate time for showers, restroom use, or outdoor exercise. During stops, while the adults attended to personal needs, the children remained locked inside the vehicle. Uthmeier described the situation as a "rolling dungeon."
As a result of the alleged abuse and confinement, the children are said to suffer from severe physical infirmities. Court records show they were kept inside the vehicle for the majority of their days and had not been allowed to attend school for approximately five years. A detective noted that the children exhibited an "unnatural gait" from being confined to the cab, were fed poorly, and never received medical or dental care, even in emergencies.
Two of the children reportedly sustained untreated burns that have resulted in significant scarring. One girl recounted an incident where she burned herself with cooked noodles, resulting in substantial bleeding. Neither Epps nor Stewart reportedly sought medical treatment for the injury, leading to a permanent scar, according to court records.
The children shared a bunk in the truck cab, described as small enough for them to lie "curled up side by side." Stewart was reportedly responsible for supervising the children when Epps was sleeping, showering, or driving.
Stewart 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 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. His office is represented by the Duval County Office of the Public Defender.
Epps 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 child neglect without great bodily harm, two counts of child neglect causing permanent disfigurement, and four counts of failure to report child abuse. Florida's Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel is representing Epps.
Epps and Stewart were arrested on August 6 and were being held in the Duval County Jail as of September 3. Representatives for both defense offices did not respond to requests for comment prior to publication.