Stepmothers have always been given a bad rap. They are often depicted as being evil, jealous, and sometimes in fables, they are even witches. Of course, there are good and loving stepmothers out there who help raise the children that are not their own, but that doesn't mean there aren't those who are actually evil real-life wicked stepmoms.
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#1 The Real Evil Stepmothers
Do you remember all those fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White that you heard when you were younger that dealt with a wicked stepmother? Stepmothers have always gotten a bad review from storytellers and history alike. In today's society, the picture of the evil stepmother still exists. Most of the time the children simply resent their new mother figure and act out against her in every way. However, some stepmothers are jealous of their new children receiving the attention from their new husband and make life miserable for the children. These real life stepmothers are more evil than anything you've read about in a fable or fairytale.
#2 Jessica Ann Cox
Stepmother Jessica Ann Cox was arrested in 2013 under charges that she handcuffed and tortured her two stepsons. The two teenagers have testified that they were not fed for three or four days. They said she tied them up and would beat them with wooden mallets, drove them completely naked to get into a bathtub filled with ice cubes and cold water, and also burned them with cigarettes. The 39-year-old mother was sentenced to eight years in prison.
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#3 Misty Stoddard
Misty Stoddard, Sarasota Florida, was arrested on charges that she murdered her autistic stepdaughter who died of brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation. She allegedly tied the 11-year-old girl to a wooden plank with her mouth duct-taped closed, then she beat her. She placed wooden clothespins on her stepdaughter's nose periodically to further block her breathing. She claims she was doing the unbelievable acts to protect her. She was sentenced to life plus 30 years on an aggravated abuse charge in the death of 11-year-old Melissa Stoddard.
#4 Shaquila L. Byrd
35-year-old Shaquila Byrd pleaded guilty to endangering the life of her five-year-old stepson. School staff reported that the child was covered with bruises and burns and also appeared malnourished. Shaquila admitted that she was punishing him with push-ups and hitting him with a leather belt to 'make him behave'. She later admitted to a judge that she locked him in the room when he returned from school every afternoon, where he remained until the next day. When the boy reported to school with soiled clothing on that he had worn for several days, they called social services to investigate. Byrd was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2011 but has already been released.
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#5 Tracey Wright
A British woman, 31-year-old stepmother Tracey Wright was ‘only' sentenced to 15 years in prison after she was convicted for the death of her six-year-old stepdaughter, Lauren. The report states that she brutally beat a girl and left her to die of starvation. However, after the court heard that she had the mental capacity of a school girl, her sentence was reduced to 12 years. Lauren died at her home in 2000 after being hit in the stomach so hard her digestive system collapsed. She had over 75 bruises to her body.
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#6 Heather Leavell-Keaton
Alabama stepmother Heather Leavell-Keaton was sentenced to die by lethal injection, six months after the children's father, John DeBlase, was handed the same sentence. The two were found guilty of the abuse, torture, and brutal murder of his two children, five and three years old. She poisoned the children with anti-freeze but their ultimate deaths were caused by choking. They were burned with cigarettes and hot candle wax, and the oldest child was duct-taped and stuffed inside of a suitcase until the two were placed in garbage bags and dumped in a nearby woods. The father has declared his innocence but the jury found him guilty for his participation.
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#7 Tonya Schmidt
Tonya Schmidt, Pennsylvania, is a wicked stepmother who was arrested for torturing her boyfriend's six-year-old daughter by burning her hands in a hot stove. She is not married to the girl's father but the couple are in a common law relationship and she lives with him and his four children. The investigation showed that the abuse of the daughter lasted for at least three years. Investigators say the child reported that she had her head held underwater frequently and was hit daily with a wooden spoon. 34-year-old Schmidt was charged with felony aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children. She awaits trial in a Butler, PA jail.
