A woman named Samantha Allen lacked remorse that is why the jury sentenced her to death for locking her 10-year-old cousin inside a box for nearly seven hours. The child was placed inside the box as punishment for stealing an ice pop.
The Washington Post identified the 10-year-old Ame Deal. Aside from Allen, the other relatives were also accused of forcing Deal to make herself fit inside the box, which was 31 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 12 inches high.
Photos of the dead child convinced jurors to punish Allen
Photos of the dead child were presented during the trial, and this convinced the jurors that Allen deserves the death sentence.
One of the jurors, Ann Ospeth, said that the pictures stayed in their minds. The jurors also said that Allen lacked remorse, which also contributed to the decision that she should be sentenced to death.
Twenty-nine-year-old Allen was convicted of first-degree murder and four counts of child abuse. Before making her cousin get inside the box, Allen also made Deal exercise under the sun. The incident took place in the summer of 2011. Allen fell asleep and forgot to let the girl out of the box. The child was found dead almost seven hours from when she was padlocked inside the box.
Deal abused in the past
Even before Allen placed her cousin inside the box and forgot about her when she went to sleep, there have been incidents involving Deal regarding physical abuse.
She was once kicked in the face and beaten with a wooden paddle. She was also forced to eat Dog Feces, drink hot sauce, and crush aluminum cans with nothing but her bare feet.
Police said that when she died in July 2011, it was not the first time that she was placed inside the plastic storage box. However, that last time led to her death probably due to the weather since the temperature reached over 100 degrees that day.
Initially, the adults at the home said they were playing hide and seek and it went wrong, which resulted in the girl’s death. Eventually, they confessed to the crime.
The mother of Allen and the legal guardian of Deal, Cynthia Stoltzmann, is currently serving her 24-year prison sentence. The husband of Allen, John, also 29, will be tried this October 9.
He also faces the death penalty if proven guilty of the charges against him, THV 11 reported. John has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
It was not stated where the parents of Deal were and why Stoltzmann was the child's legal guardian.
