Georgia woman Tiffany Moss was convicted Monday for the 2013 murder of her stepdaughter, 10-year-old Emani Moss. Now jurors in Gwinnett County, Georgia are deliberating whether she should get the death penalty. The defendant is representing herself, but did absolutely nothing at trial and during the sentencing hearing to undermine the state’s case. #TiffanyMoss – Moss will NOT present evidence in penalty phase. She is not going to ask the jury to spare her life. — Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) April 29, 2019 The judge rejected a motion from her standby counsel to intervene for sentencing. Cops said the victim’s father Eman Moss called 911 saying he wanted to commit suicide, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police arrived at the apartment complex where he lived, and he said that his daughter “drank some chemical” and died. He admittedly “panicked” over her death, put her body in a trash can, and attempted to burn it. From the beginning, cops openly doubted there were any chemicals in the first place. Police said Emani Moss’ parents starved her to death. Her father pleaded guilty in 2015, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He testified against Tiffany Moss as part of his deal with prosecutors. His lawyer Christian Lamar said at sentencing that Eman Moss wasn’t a monster, but negligent. Tiffany Moss convinced her husband that they’d lose custody of their children if they got medical care for Emani. Tiffany Moss took the lead role in this girl’s murder, prosecutors said. She starved her stepdaughter while making sure her kids were fed and clothed, said the prosecution. Emani had been kept from eating for about a dozen days, according to warrants obtained by the AJC. A history of child abuse has been established by prosecutors. Tiffany Moss pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation in 2010 for beating Emani, then 6. The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services agreed to the deal, and dropped their case against the couple. According to cops, Emani ran away from the home twice in 2012, but police said they were unable to prove her claim of abuse. Tiffany Moss refused to get legal representation, and said she wanted to rely on God’s guidance. Judge George Hutchinson emphatically recommended she let a lawyer handle her case, especially because she faced the death penalty. “They are seeking to have you executed, and I can’t be more blunt than to say they are trying to have you killed,” he said. “That’s just as serious as it can possibly get and I think it’s best that you have an attorney.” Nonetheless, he found her competent to represent herself. She does have two public defenders on standby to answer any questions she might have. In fact, they appealed Hutchinson’s decision, but the Georgia Supreme Court decided in December to not even hear the case. Court observers described her as rather quiet during jury selection. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said at a hearing this month that he had offered Moss the same plea deal her husband got: life in prison without parole. That’s a moot point now, however, because he said that the offer would only be available until the jury is selected. Note – April 29, 6:53 p.m.: This article was edited to reflect the guilty verdict. [Image via 11Alive screengrab] Have a tip we should know? [email protected]<doc-sep>During the early stages of jury selection, Moss was polite and pleasant, often flashing a smile when responding to questions from Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson or the few times she asked questions to prospective jurors. But as the selection process dragged on into its fifth and sixth days, Moss' smile all but disappeared. She also declined to ask anything to prospective jurors. “No questions, your honor,” Moss said time and time again. Tiffany Moss faces murder and child cruelty charges for allegedly starving 10-year-old Emani Moss to death and then burning her body in 2013. On Tuesday, Moss sat alone again at the defense table facing the gallery as sets of potential jurors were brought into the courtroom. To get the 12-person jury, a pool of 42 potential jurors was required. That’s because both the prosecution and the defense get to use 15 “strikes” — or chances to eliminate the jurors they don’t want to hear the case. During this process, a clerk passed a list with the jurors’ names back and forth between Porter and Moss. As they alternately jotted down their strikes on the paper, the clerk crossed through the names of those who’d been eliminated. When it was over, 12 names remained. They include a 24-year-old triage nurse, a third-grade teacher, a salesman with three daughters, and a woman who manages research and development contracts. None looked happy when told they had been picked for the trial. Even though she kept quiet, Moss exercised all 15 of her allotted strikes, Porter said after court adjourned. “She didn’t waste them.” Gwinnett County Chief Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson, who is overseeing the Tiffany Moss death penalty trial. Moss was initially appointed two lawyers, Brad Gardner and Emily Gilbert, from the State Office of the Capital Defender. After she refused their representation and said she wished to go it alone, Hutchinson appointed Gardner and Gilbert to be Moss’ “standby counsel.” They sit in the gallery behind Moss ready to help when needed. During the seven days of jury selection, Moss asked for their help on a few occasions. And Tuesday, after jurors were sent home and court adjourned, Gardner and Gilbert accompanied Moss into a holding cell outside the courtroom. If the jurors find Moss guilty of murder, they will have to decide whether to sentence her to life in prison with the possibility of parole, life in prison without parole, or death by lethal injection. The trial is expected to end sometime next week.<doc-sep>Image 1 of 13 ▼ Officials said Monday began the second week of jury selection for the case of a woman charged with killing her stepdaughter. Tiffany Moss is representing herself in the case. Officials said she is helping decide who will be on the jury. Investigators said the stepdaughter was 10-year-old Emani Moss who weighed only 32 pounds at the time of her death. Officials said Moss could face the death penalty if she is convicted. Emani’s father, Eman Moss, pled guilty to the murder in 2015 and was sentenced to life in prison. Advertisement RELATED: Trial begins for Georgia woman accused of starving, burning stepdaughter<doc-sep>
Porter described how Tiffany Moss once beat the young girl with a belt, leaving welts all over her body. After Emani Moss died, Tiffany Moss and Emani’s father put her body in a trash can, drove it to a remote area and lit the remains on fire, Porter said. When the body failed to burn to ashes, the couple put the trash can back into their SUV. It remained there for a few days until Eman Moss, the father, called police to report the death. After Porter finished, Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson told Moss it was her turn. Moss then rose from her seat and declined to give an opening statement, prompting surprised looks by jurors and observers throughout the packed courtroom. Tiffany Moss arrives in court for the first day of her death penalty trial on April 24, 2019. Moss, who is representing herself, declined to make an opening statement. Credit: Bob Andres Credit: Bob Andres After Porter told Hutchinson it is a defendant’s right to reserve an opening statement until the close of the state’s case, the judge asked Moss if she intended to give her opening statement then. “No, your honor,” Moss said. Emani Moss, 10, starved to death in the fall of 2013. Her stepmother TIffany Moss faces the death penalty in a trial that began on April 24, 2019. Tiffany Moss has declined legal representation in the trial and is representing herself. Moss has refused representation by two capital public defenders, who sit in the courtroom gallery as standby counsel and ready to assist her when needed. In prior court filings, they disclosed that Moss suffers from brain damage. Yet Hutchinson found Moss competent to stand trial and allowed her to represent herself.