Shocking child abuse case in the US – prosecutors seek death penalty

Florida prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for guardians who, from January 2020 to April 2026, held four children in the back of a truck, subjecting them to violence and isolation. The children suffered severe consequences, including infections and burns. The defendants are Tamra Marshawn Stewart and Keisha Monique Epps.

The Florida State Attorney's Office is formally seeking the maximum penalty for guardians who held four children in a mobile prison for over six years. According to the investigation, from January 2020 to April 2026, 37-year-old Tamra Marshawn Stewart and 51-year-old Keisha Monique Epps lived with two boys and two girls in the cramped truck bed. The children were forced to share one bed, kept in strict isolation, and denied hygiene, proper nutrition, medical care, and education. After their rescue, one child was found to have a sexually transmitted infection, and two had severe burns with significant scarring. The girls testified to years of sexual abuse by Stewart, while Epps covered for the accomplice and beat the boys who tried to speak out. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier described the conditions as a mobile prison. The prosecution intends to pursue the death penalty.