In November 1984, Marie Moore became the first woman to receive a death sentence in the state of New Jersey for the slaying of 13-year-old Theresa Feury. She was charged on several counts including kidnapping and s*xual assault against four other juveniles and a 50-year-old woman.
Marie reportedly manipulated and abused four minors, namely Harriet Bayne, Ricky Flores, Theresa Feury, and Luis Mantalvo, and a long-time friend Mary Gardullo, 50. She used Ricky to administer severe abuse and torture to these victims, which ultimately caused Theresa’s death. Her body was found in the suspect’s Paterson residence, which was often referred to as the Moore family’s house of horrors.
ID’s Evil Lives Here will revisit the crimes of Marie Moore and her house of horrors in a new episode titled Trapped in a House of Torture. The official synopsis reads:
“Tammy Moore’s loyalty to her mother, Marie, is absolute; when police arrest Marie for murder, Tammy lies to protect her; a look back at the horrific events of her youth forces Tammy to see her mother in a new, terrifying light.”
The upcoming episode airs on the channel this Sunday, August 13, 2023, at 9:00 pm ET.
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of child abuse. Readers’ discretion is advised.
Marie Moore controlled the children’s lives and tortured them in her house of horrors
Evil Lives Here airs on ID (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)
According to The Cinemaholic, in the early 1980s, Marie Moore resided in a house in Paterson, Jew Jersey, with her daughter Tammy and her daughter’s friend Harriet Bayne. Both girls were 12 years old at the time. Marie’s long-term friend Mary Gardullo also lived with them
During the summer of 1981, i.e., in the months of July or August, three other children named Ricky Flores, 13, Theresa Feury, 12, and Luis Mantalvo, 13, began visiting Marie frequently and bonding with her. It was during this period that the abuse and manipulation first began.
The outlet reported that Marie told the children that famous musician Billy Joel was her ex-husband and that he was involved with the mafia to threaten them. She made them believe that their families could get hurt and assigned Ricky to administer discipline in the house.
As part of her manipulation, Marie made Ricky severely punish the children and beat them, supposedly under the instructions of Billy. She used fictitious tales and phone calls to make them believe in Billy’s existence.
Marie Moore controlled the children’s lives and prevented them from leaving the house. Ricky in fact left his family and permanently moved into the house of horrors. Marie convinced him to stay and help her overcome an alleged drug addiction and later manipulated him into getting involved with her s*xually.
Luis, who lived close to the Moore household, was the first to leave in October 1981 after enduring two months of abuse because Marie feared his family might get involved. Harriet was the second victim who managed to escape the house on November 27, 1981.
During a search of Marie Moore’s house, 13-year-old Theresa Feury’s body was found hidden in the walls
Following Harriet’s escape, the abuse of Theresa and Mary intensified. The latter was punished for being “nosey” while Theresa, who came to the house in the mornings and evenings was beaten regularly. Later, Mary also escaped the house on May 31, 1982, and sought help.
After Mary’s escape, authorities began an investigation into the Moore household as they looked into the abuse allegations against Ricky and Marie Moore. The master manipulator denied knowing about the abuse and pushed the blame onto Ricky.
She contacted officers and implicated Ricky in the abuse, alleging that he s*xually assaulted her daughter Tammy and murdered Theresa. On December 22, 1983, authorities found Theresa’s body hidden in the walls of the house. It was later confirmed that she died of severe head injuries likely caused by hitting her head on the bathtub. She was allegedly chained to the same bathtub every night.
Marie was eventually arrested and charged with the girl’s murder. During her trial, Luis, Harriet, and Mary testified but the defense intended to portray her as legally insane. Nonetheless, the defendant was found guilty of capital murder and other charges of abuse and kidnapping and was sentenced to death in November 1984.
Four years later, Marie’s conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court, as per The Cinemaholic. This was followed by a retrial in 1989 when the murder charge was dropped and she was sentenced to 135 years in prison on the kidnapping and assault charges.
Learn more about the case against Marie Moore on ID’s Evil Lives Here this Sunday at 9 pm ET.
More from Sportskeeda
Edited by Adelle Fernandes
Categories: Trending
Source: newstars.edu.vn