A Las Vegas stepmother of six cried after being sentenced to 18 years in prison for failing to stop her husband from torturing their six children and locking them in a dog cage.
Amanda Stamper, 33, told Clark County District Court Judge Nadia Krall on Thursday that she knew she “should have done something sooner.”
“I’m ashamed to be here,” she said. ‘I take full responsibility for it. I wasn’t in the best situation either and I was scared.’
Stamper, a sex worker who worked as a pimp for her husband, Travis Doss, 32, also known as “Trap Montana,” was also charged with the grotesque abuse of their children, ages 2 to 11.
Bodycam footage from Las Vegas police shows the children home alone and two of them locked in dog cages during the June 2023 rescue at a home on South Valley View Boulevard. Many children were starving and covered in bruises. 8NewsNow reported.
Amanda Stamper, 33, cried after being sentenced to 18 years in prison. She pleaded guilty in December to three counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment. A Clark County grand jury previously indicted Stamper on seven felony counts of child abuse and neglect
One of the children is locked in a dog cage in the couple’s Las Vegas apartment
Travis Doss, 31, was indicted by a grand jury on 38 counts of child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of sex trafficking and one count of living off the earnings of a prostitute.
In December, Stamper pleaded guilty to three felony counts of child abuse, neglect or endangerment.
A Clark County grand jury previously indicted her on seven felony counts of child abuse and neglect.
On Thursday, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti told the court in gruesome details about the gruesome actions of the father, who kept one of their children locked in a dog cage for five days, starved and severely malnourished, the news source said. .
“Every day, the defendant failed to protect her six stepchildren,” Rinetti said. “Her actions and inactions will affect these children for the rest of their lives.”
Her attorney Ceasar Almase argued that Stamper was a victim of Doss and argued for probation, reiterating that she had been abused by Doss, both physically and mentally.
“Clearly she wasn’t thinking rationally,” Almase said.
Doss was indicted by a grand jury on 38 counts of child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of sex trafficking and one count of living off the earnings of a prostitute.
Rinetti argued that Stamper had a vehicle to use and the ability to leave the home and call police or child protective services if she felt she was in danger.
Officials found the six children home alone, with two dogs roaming their property
She cited a particularly gruesome detail when Doss sent Stamper a photo of one of their children who appeared to be dead, claiming he had killed him, but the child survived.
The prosecutor spoke more about the severe neglect, saying Stamper only called 911 after learning her husband was cheating.
During the conversation, she allegedly sent Doss nearly a hundred text messages that went unanswered, showing that it was “all about her and never about children,” Rinetti said.
She also told the court that the children never attended school, so school counselors could not check in on them and report the abuse.
It’s unclear how many children Doss and Stamper share, but the couple had a child together in December while they were both in prison.
On June 11, 2023, the couple was arrested after Stamper told a Walgreens employee that her partner was going to kill her and that he was abusing his children. The Las Vegas Review-Journal Previously reported.
Stamper reportedly told the dispatcher she was “terrified” and asked police to come to the store.
She told the news station during a jailhouse interview that she was a victim of abuse by Doss, and weeks before her arrest, physical abuse against her and her stepchildren increased.
According to police documents, Stamper said she met Doss in Atlanta six years ago, and claimed he had forced her to do sex work for money since they met. The New York Post Previously reported.
Before their recent arrests, both had criminal records.
Doss on aggravated assault charges in South Carolina, and Stamper on drug charges out of Tennessee, officials said.
Doss’ next court hearing is scheduled for February 29.