Funviralpark An American couple in Uganda, accused of torturing their 10-year-old foster child, could face the death penalty if convicted of the latest charges, prosecutors said.
Nicholas Spencer and Mackenzie Lee Matthias Spencer, 32, were arrested earlier this month and charged with two years of alleged abuse and aggravated torture that carries a life sentence if convicted.
Abubaker Lubowa/Reuters
They will be charged with aggravated child trafficking this week and face the death penalty if convicted, Joan Keko, an attorney at the Uganda State Public Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed to ABC News.
The Spencers had previously pleaded not guilty to aggravated torture charges, The Associated Press reported. They will be able to file new charges once the case moves to high court, according to AP.
Keko said the two were held in a high-security prison in Rujila, a suburb of the capital, Kampala, and were denied bail after being ruled at risk of escape.
A Ugandan police statement said the couple allegedly “constantly tortured” the foster child between 2020 and 2022, which “attracted the attention of neighbors” and called the Kampala Metropolitan Police.
32-year-old American couple Nicholas Spencer and Mackenzie Lee Matthias Spencer stand on the docks of Buganda Road Court charged with torturing a 10-year-old boy December 14, 2022 in Kampala, Uganda.
Abubaker Lubowa/Reuters
According to Kampala metropolitan area spokesman Luke Owoesigire, the child was locked in an empty room with no clothes, food or water, and a medical report showed bruises on his body. It is said that there was
Police received video evidence from a neighbor and a nurse who were checking on the child, a Kampala police source told ABC News.
According to Keko, the Spencers are from South Carolina. Police said they moved to Uganda in 2017 as volunteers.
The couple raised three children, including one who allegedly tortured them, in 2018 from an organization called the Wellcome Ministry in the city of Jinja. They have moved to Upper Nagl, police said.
Their work permits will expire in 2021, Keko said.
Kevin Shalvey and Guy Davies of ABC News contributed to this report.
