Emani Moss

Tiffany Nicole Moss (born July 1983) was convicted of murdering Emani in 2019 and was subsequently sentenced to death.

The murder received national as well as international attention.

The attention was largely due to the crime's severe nature; Moss physically abused Emani for several years before her death.

Emani Gabrielle Moss (April 23, 2003 – October 28, 2013) was a ten-year-old American girl who was starved to death by her stepmother in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2013, in what became a prominent case leading to reforms in Georgia's child welfare system.

Emani Gabrielle Moss was born on April 23, 2003.

Shortly after Emani's birth, her mother, addicted to drugs, surrendered her parental rights, and Emani's father, Eman gained sole custody of her.

Emani was one of five children born to her mother.

Her mother surrendered parental rights to all of her children.

Eman was charged with and convicted of battery and second-degree child cruelty in 2004 after beating Emani's biological mother in front of her.

Eman largely raised Emani and often took her to the Freedom Christian Church.

There, he met Tiffany Moss, a preschool teacher.

Eman and Tiffany married in July 2009 and had two children, a son and a daughter.

Though there are no records indicating that Tiffany abused her biological children, she did abuse Emani.

The abuse increased in March 2010 after a beating of Emani caused Moss to lose her job.

Emani, then age six, told a school nurse that she feared going home with a bad report card because she worried her parents would hurt her.

She also told the nurse that her stepmother had spanked her with a curtain rod.

The nurse then found multiple scabs, bruises, and welts on Emani's arms, back, chest, legs, and shoulders, and Emani was taken to the police headquarters.

Tiffany was arrested and charged with first-degree child cruelty.

Tiffany admitted to hitting Emani three times after she failed to do her homework.

She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years of probation as part of Georgia's First Offender Program.

The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (GDFCS) signed the plea deal.

The GDFCS dismissed a case against Tiffany and Eman after they completed parenting classes.

After the March 2010 beating, Emani was taken from her father and stepmother's home and placed with her grandmother Robin, staying with her for about six months.

During this time, Emani's school performance improved.

Eman fought for custody of Emani, and in the fall of 2010, the GDFCS returned her to him.

Robin fought to retain custody of her granddaughter.

Though she suspected Emani was being abused, she could not persuade authorities to give her custody.

Prosecutors later argued at trial that the March 2010 abuse incident launched an escalating cycle of more abuse that ultimately resulted in Emani's death.

Because Moss had pleaded guilty to beating Emani, she was no longer allowed to teach preschool.

This made her resent Emani, as she blamed her for the job loss.

Moss continued to abuse Emani for the next several years.

In 2013, Moss began starving Emani.

Emani's father, Eman, who was rarely home, failed to stop the abuse.

Emani died of starvation on October 28, 2013.

At the time of her death, she weighed 32 lb, the weight of an average toddler.

The murder led to several systemic changes in the Georgia Division of Family and Child Services (GDFCS).

Eman pled guilty in 2015 for his role in the crime.

The case against Moss went to trial, and in April 2019, Moss, who represented herself, was convicted of all counts.

She was sentenced to death on May 1, 2019.

She is currently incarcerated at the Arrendale State Prison and is Georgia's only female death row inmate.