Mom accused of chaining autistic son to cot, starving him rejects plea deal
Three days before she was set to stand trial in the death of her teenage son, a Springfield Township woman fired the attorney she had hired to defend her.
On April 25, Tamara Moore − who had been expected to plead guilty − instead told Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers that she wanted another attorney. Moore's trial had been set for April 28.
Moore, 53, who faces up to life in prison, didn't entirely explain her decision.
Attorney Clyde Bennett II told Luebbers said that Moore didn't want him to represent her, "based on my analysis of the case."
"There's a fundamental difference in how the case should proceed," Bennett said, adding that he could no longer represent someone "who doesn't believe what I'm saying."
Prosecutors: Teen was chained to cot, starved
Prosecutors have said that Moore's 16-year-old son, who had autism, was treated "worse than an animal" in her Springfield Township home.
The teen, Jeremiah Moore, died Feb. 6, 2024, after he was chained to a cot and starved, according to investigators.
On April 25, Assistant Prosecutor Jacqueline Stachowiak said Tamara Moore had been offered a plea deal, in which she would plead guilty to manslaughter and child abuse. The recommended sentence in the plea agreement was 15 years in prison.
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If convicted at trial of murder − the most serious charge Moore faces − she would be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, and likely have to serve 25 years before being considered for parole.
Because Moore has been in jail awaiting trial for more than a year, she no longer has the financial resources to hire a new attorney, so her next attorney will be appointed by Luebbers. A new trial date won't be set until after Moore gets a new attorney.
A man believed to be Moore's boyfriend, 59-year-old William Turnage, also faces charges including murder, endangering children and failing to report a crime or death. Turnage does not have a trial date set.