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.
Madeleine Wright
Madeleine Wright is a bilingual general assignment reporter for CBS News Philadelphia who is fluent in Spanish. She joined the team in January 2022 and was named the Delaware County reporter in July 2023.