• An American couple is facing the death penalty in Uganda for the alleged torture and trafficking of a special-needs child in their care.
• 32-year-old couple Nicholas and Mackenzie Spencer moved to Uganda in 2017, and fostered three children in 2018. They are being held and accused of “constantly torturing” one child – an HIV-positive boy who attended a special needs school – by forcing him to sleep on a wooden platform, squat in uncomfortable positions, and feeding him only cold food.
• The torture attracted the attention of neighbors, who got video of some of the acts of torture. The Spencers have been charged with aggravated torture, a crime which faces a maximum sentence of life in prison in Uganda. The couple has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Tagged: Crime Blotter