Crime & Safety
Murdered Girl In A Box: First Of Two Trials In Death Of Ame Deal Set To Begin
Sammantha Allen is accused of locking her 10-year-old cousin in a storage box and leaving there. The girl was only 60 pounds when she died.
The trial of Sammantha Allen - accused of killing her 10-year-old cousin by locking her in a plastic storage box and leaving her overnight - is getting underway. Allen and her husband, John allegedly locked her Ame Deal in the box as punishment for stealing ice pops.
When the girl was originally found dead, family told officers that she had been playing hide and seek.
About two weeks later, the pair were arrested and police said that Ame had lived a horrific life. They said she had been kicked in the face, forced to eat dog feces, crush aluminum cans with her bare feet.
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When she died, the 10-year-old weighed barely 60 pounds.
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Sammantha and John Allen, who have both pleaded not guilty, are charged with child abuse and murder. John Allen's trial is scheduled to begin in August.
Two other adults - Ame's aunt and grandmother - were both convicted of child abuse related charges in connection with the case and sentenced to 24 years and 10 years in prison, respectively.
Image via ShutterStock
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