Latest news with #BrendaSpencer
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
New Jersey couple accused of abusing child for years to stay in jail until trial: "domestic torture"
New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial New Jersey couple accused of abusing child ordered to remain in jail until trial A New Jersey woman accused of holding her daughter captive in their own home appeared before a judge Thursday. Brenda Spencer and her boyfriend Branndon Mosley were ordered to be held in jail until trial. Camden County prosecutors said the couple from Gloucester Township beat Spencer's daughter, who is now 18, with a belt and locked her in a dog crate for a year with her hands handcuffed behind her back. The victim told investigators that Mosley sexually assaulted the victim multiple times and that Spencer failed to do anything about it. While prosecutors and defense attorneys referred to Mosley as the victim's stepfather, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the couple was not legally married. "What our victim has suffered — physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse — is nothing short of domestic torture," Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said. During a detention hearing, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Testa from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office laid out details of life inside the couple's home. The victim told authorities she was confined to a bare room for hours with only a bucket for a toilet and that at one point, she was chained to a toilet by her ankles. Testa said Mosley sexually abused Spencer's daughter when she was 7 or 8 years old while she was sitting on his lap while watching a football game and again when she was 13. The couple is accused of depriving the girl of her education, and at times, food, during the seven years that she was supposed to be homeschooled. The victim was punished for talking back and not doing her chores, like cleaning up animal feces, Testa said. There were five Great Danes, one husky, two other dogs and 26 chinchillas in the house, along with birds, snakes and bearded dragons. The victim lived in the home with her 13-year-old sister, who observed some of the abuse, Testa said. The abuse only stopped when the victim ran away from home on May 8, Testa said. "What we heard today, it's just unfathomable to me," Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said. The evidence includes photos of the victim's injuries, text messages between the defendants, statements from neighbors and a confession from Mosley. Testa said Mosley admitted that he used to drink and when asked if he sexually abused the victim, said he didn't remember, but that it could have happened. Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue described the defendants' alleged conduct as barbaric and dangerous. The couple is charged with kidnapping, assault and endangering the welfare of a child, among other crimes. They face life in prison if convicted. Blue ordered Spencer to have no contact with either of her daughters unless ordered by the family court or New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency. Mosley's parents were in court to support their son, but they did not want to speak on camera. Defense attorneys for both defendants also declined to comment. If you need to speak with a counselor about child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-422-4453.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Teen held captive by South Jersey couple for years escapes: Here's what we know
Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, are facing kidnapping, aggravated assault, and other charges after officials say an 18-year-old who endured years of abuse by the couple was able to escape captivity from a South Jersey home last week.
New York Times
16-05-2025
- New York Times
Couple Imprisoned Girl for 7 Years and Kept Her in Dog Cage, Police Say
One evening last week, a barefoot teenage girl with a shaved head burst into her next-door neighbor's home in Blackwood, N.J., sat down on the couch and began to spill out a harrowing story. She said her stepfather and mother had imprisoned her at their home for the past seven years, ever since they pulled her out of elementary school with the excuse that she would be home-schooled. She said they locked her in a dog crate for an entire year, and at one point had chained her up in a bathroom. She said her stepfather had sexually abused her. This week, following a police investigation, prosecutors in Camden County, in South Jersey just outside Philadelphia, announced several charges against her mother, Brenda Spencer, 38, and stepfather, Branndon Mosely, 41. They included assault, criminal restraint, kidnapping and weapons offenses; Mr. Mosely also faces numerous counts of sexual assault. 'The investigation has corroborated the heinous acts endured by the victim and we will hold those responsible accountable,' Lt. Andy McNeil, a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said in an interview. Authorities did not identify the 18-year-old teenager. Mr. Mosely is a rail conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the transit system that serves the Philadelphia region, and Ms. Spencer is a dog handler who specializes in Great Danes, the authorities said. They are being held in jail while they await a detention hearing scheduled for next week. Lawyers for the couple declined to comment. Days after the distressed teenage girl barreled into the home where he was staying, Michael Lacey, a 36-year-old pool cleaner, said he kept breaking down in tears over the brutality she had described. She recounted to Mr. Lacey how an alarm system was rigged so she could not escape. How her mother shaved her head as punishment and how she was forced to relieve herself in a bucket. And she explained to Mr. Lacey that it all happened behind closed doors just 20 yards away from the house he was staying in, which belonged to his mother. 'After I found out that everything she was telling me was true, I broke down,' Mr. Lacey said in an interview. 'I wish I had known. I wish I had known.' The region has recently been shaken by an eerily similar episode in which a 32-year-old Connecticut man escaped from what he said was 20 years of imprisonment by his late father and stepmother. He lit a fire in his room, forcing firefighters to rescue him from his family's burning home, the authorities have said. His stepmother faces multiple charges relating to his confinement. The scene in Blackwood, where the teenager is believed to have been held, is 'one of the most despicable cases we've run across,' Chief David Harkins of the Gloucester Township Police Department said at a news conference on Wednesday. Officials also took aim at home-schooling, an increasingly popular and barely regulated alternative to traditional schooling. Taking the girl out of school 'helped hide the heinous, yearslong torture,' Grace C. MacAulay the Camden County prosecutor said. When the police entered the home, they found squalid conditions, Ms. MacAulay said, as well as a room rigged with an alarm system, the bucket the girl said she had been forced to use and the chains she said had bound her. Mr. Mosely and Ms. Spencer took the teenager's 13-year-old sister out of school after second grade in an effort to conceal her sibling's abuse, according to a criminal complaint. 'They were afraid she would tell someone that the victim was living in a dog crate,' the document reads. The charges against the couple relate only to the older sister; officials said an investigation was continuing into whether there were other victims. According to their Facebook accounts, Mr. Mosely and Ms. Spencer have three other children together: a 3-year-old boy and twin 5-year-old girls. Officials said that only the two teenage sisters were found in the home, and were unable to provide information about any other children. A large number of animals were also removed from the home, including four Great Danes, three other dogs, a lizard, snakes, several birds, two hamsters and 29 chinchillas, according to Chief Harkins. Ms. Spencer's social media is filled with love notes to Mr. Mosely, interspersed with images of her in sundresses posing with Great Danes at dog competitions. The family appears to have lived at their house on Ridge Avenue since 2017, according to property records. Since then, the only police calls to the home have been for barking dogs in the yard. But whenever the police arrived, Chief Harkins said, the couple quickly put the dogs inside. No responding officers ever entered the house.
Toronto Sun
15-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
New Jersey couple accused of keeping girl locked in bathroom for years
Detectives say victim was locked in dog crate at times, 'subjected to living in squalid conditions' Brenda Spencer, left, and Branndon Mosely are facing numerous charges. Photo by Handout / Camden County (NJ) Prosecutor's Office / Facebook A New Jersey couple is facing numerous charges in a sickening case of alleged child abuse that authorities said went on for years. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, of Gloucester Township, were arrested Sunday after the Camden County Prosecutor's Office special victims unit and Gloucester Township Police Department were notified of an 18-year-old woman who came forward the day before claiming she had been held captive in her home for several years and was the victim of sexual abuse. The woman told detectives that she had been abused since about 2018. At that time, she alleged Spencer removed her from school in grade 6 and confined her to the home. Shortly after being held back from classes, the woman reported she was forced to live in a dog crate for about a year and was let out periodically. 'The victim advised she was later forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while being chained up,' the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'She stated that she would be let out of the bathroom when family visited the residence. At other times, she was forced to live in a bare room with just a bucket to use instead of a toilet. She explained the bare room had an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she tried to leave.' The woman also reported being beaten with a belt and accused Mosley of sexually abusing her. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Authorities said the alleged abuse occurred for years until she escaped the home on May 8 with the help of a neighbour. She disclosed the alleged abuse and it was reported to police. 'Detectives searched the residence and found that the victim was subjected to living in squalid conditions alongside numerous dogs, chinchillas and other animals,' the Camden County Prosecutor's Office said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Police said investigators also learned that a 13-year-old child who also lived in the home was removed from school years earlier at Spencer's discretion. Cops soon learned that both girls were allegedly homeschooled. Spencer and Mosley were both charged with first-degree kidnapping, second-degree conspiracy to commit kidnapping, second-degree aggravated assault, five counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (abuse/neglect), third-degree criminal restraint, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon. In addition, Mosley was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child (sexual contact) and two counts each of first-degree aggravated sexual assault and second-degree sexual assault. Authorities said Spencer was unemployed and Mosley worked as a train conductor in nearby Philadelphia. Read More
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Teenage girl escapes house of horrors where mom and man held her captive for SEVEN YEARS doing the unthinkable
A teenage girl miraculously escaped a house of horrors where she was held captive and allegedly abused for seven years by her mother and stepfather. The 18-year-old girl escaped her captivity from the suburban home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey on May 8 with the help of a neighbor. Once free, she told police about the horrific conditions she endured since 2018 when her mother Brenda Spencer, 38, pulled her from school. After being removed from the sixth grade, she was allegedly forced to live in a padlocked bathroom where she was kept chained up, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office. The victim also told law enforcement that her stepfather, 41-year-old Branndon Mosley, sexually abused her for years and beat her with a belt. He allegedly withheld food from the girl and sexually abused her while her hands were chained. She also had allegedly been forced to live in a dog crate for a year that was meant for the couple's Great Danes, Chief of Gloucester Township Police David Harkins said at a press conference. Her parents also kept her in a bare room with nothing but a bucket, which she was forced to use instead of a bathroom. The victim alleged that she was forced to live in disgusting conditions, and an alarm system alerted Spencer and Mosley if she tried to escape. Harkins said that the victim didn't initially share the information with police, but later contacted them a week after her escape. He added that the case was one of the most 'despicable' their department had ever encountered. Authorities didn't immediately share how she escaped the home but said they met with the victim at a grocery store to take her statement. She declined domestic abuse services, but called police two days later to recount the full scope of the horrific abuse. Detectives discovered stomach-churning conditions when they searched the home, including a slew of dogs, chinchillas, and other animals that the girl was forced to live with. They also found a second girl living in the home, who was just 13 years old. Both girls were removed from school and were allegedly being homeschooled during the abuse. Neighbors told local NBC affiliate, WCAU-TV, that the family rarely left the home and they never saw the two girls living there. Other community members were disgusted by the allegations, with one noting, 'You have to be mentally disturbed to do something like that.' Spencer and Mosley were arrested and face a slew of charges relating to kidnapping, neglect, and assault, including one count of third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Mosley also faces sexual assault charges and endangering the welfare of a child by using sexual contact. Spencer was reportedly unemployed, and Mosley worked as a train conductor. They were both jailed and await detention hearings. 'What this young woman survived was absolutely horrific,' Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay told reporters during a press conference. MacAulay added that the girl endured 'heinous, years-long torture,' that flew under the radar because she was homeschooled. The county prosecutor pointed out the 'flaws' in the educational system that allowed the abuse to occur for seven years. She said that although homeschooling may be the right choice for some families, in this case, it aided in hiding the tragic abuse. Spencer and Mosley were charged on Saturday and await their first court hearing, which is scheduled for Friday. The Camden County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit is asking any community members with additional information on the abuse to come forward.
