GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- The father of a 10-year-old girl who was burned and starved to death was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Eman Moss was very emotional during Friday's sentencing hearing. He wept as he read the court a letter he wrote to daughter Emani, calling her "Angel Face" and saying he loved her.
Moss and his wife Tiffany were arrested and charged after Emani's body was found in November 2013 inside a trash can at the Coventry Pointe Apartments. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter called Emani's death the worst case of child abuse he'd ever seen.
Moss pleaded guilty to two counts of felony murder, two counts of first-degree child cruelty and one felony count of concealing a death. He accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Investigators said although Moss helped dispose of his daughter's body, he was likely not the main culprit in her death.
During Friday's hearing, defense attorneys said many people failed Emani. They said Moss was not a monster parent or hardened criminal, but a father who worked two jobs to provide for his family. They also claimed Moss knew Emani was sick and fed her BOOST protein drinks to try to make her healthy again, but did not pursue help because Tiffany Moss told him it would break their family apart due to a previous case.
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