Couple Could Receive Death Penalty For Torturing And Sex Trafficking 10-Year-Old Foster Son

A couple from South Carolina could face the death penalty after moving to Uganda and being accused of torturing and sex- trafficking their 10-year-old foster son, Kayima John.

32 year olds Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer have lived in Uganda since 2017 in order to do humanitarian work.

In 2018, they became foster parents to three children through a Christian ministry. Documents written on Dec.13 claim that the Spencers had their 10-year-old son, who is HIV positive, “barefooted and naked throughout the day.” Sometimes, they would also make him “squat in an awkward position and sleep on a bare wooden platform without a mattress or bedding.” It is alleged that they did so because the child was “stubborn, hyperactive, and mentally unstable.”

Someone who had cared for the child reported that the Spencers kept him in a small room, wouldn’t allow him to go to school, and watched him from a camera at all times.

Authorities were contacted after neighbors grew increasingly worried about the child’s condition.

Since Dec. 9, the couple has been in custody after prosecutors stated that they believe that they are a flight risk.

The couple is now facing aggravated child sex trafficking charges which their lawyer believes “doesn’t make sense” because “last time we were in court, the court said that inquiries are complete.”

The couple has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges of aggravated torture. No plea has been entered for the new charge.