Pattern of Harm

Gloucester Township, NJ — A Camden County judge has ordered a Gloucester Township couple held without bail following harrowing allegations that they abused and confined a teenage girl in their home for seven years. The case, which prosecutors call “domestic torture,” has raised urgent questions about parental accountability and the gaps in oversight within New Jersey’s homeschooling regulations.

Brenda Spencer, 38, and her boyfriend, Branndon Mosley, 41, face a slew of criminal charges after Spencer’s daughter, now 18, escaped the home on May 8 and reported years of abuse.

Authorities allege that beginning in 2018, when the girl was pulled out of public school before starting seventh grade, she was subjected to physical, psychological, and sexual abuse while being held in isolation inside the couple’s residence.

Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay stated that removing the victim from school “helped hide the heinous, years-long torture” she endured. The victim reportedly lived in squalid conditions with numerous animals and was denied proper education, nutrition, and medical care.

According to court testimony, the teen was beaten with a belt, handcuffed and confined in a dog crate for nearly a year, and later chained in a padlocked bathroom. In other periods, she was held in a bare room equipped only with a bucket for a toilet and rigged with an alarm system to alert Spencer and Mosley if she attempted to escape.

The abuse occurred while Spencer was home during the day and Mosley worked as a SEPTA train conductor, raising questions about Spencer’s failure to intervene or seek help for her daughter.

“She told me just recently that they cut her hair and shaved her head for punishment,” said a neighbor, identified only as Susan, who assisted the victim after her escape. “She said they kept her in the dog crate. It was horrific, it was disgraceful. We were both in tears, me and my son.”

The victim also disclosed that Mosley began sexually assaulting her as early as age seven or eight and again when she was 13.

During a detention hearing, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Testa revealed that Mosley admitted to drinking and claimed he couldn’t recall the abuse but acknowledged “it could have happened.”

“What our victim has suffered, physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, is nothing short of domestic torture,” said Prosecutor MacAulay. Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue described the alleged conduct as “barbaric and dangerous,” ordering both defendants to remain detained pending trial.

The victim’s 13-year-old sister also lived in the home and was similarly withdrawn from school years ago by Spencer, allegedly to be homeschooled. Authorities believe this environment shielded the abuse from public view. In New Jersey, parents are only required to notify the school district of their intent to homeschool and are not subject to curriculum, attendance, or performance checks.

“Homeschooling may be the right choice for many families. Unfortunately, it can be used by others as a means to hide abuse,” MacAulay said. “Certainly this case proves there’s need to revamp and revisit those laws.”

The abuse surfaced just weeks after Mosley was hailed as a hero for helping evacuate passengers during a fire aboard a SEPTA train in February. A photo showed him receiving a framed certificate of commendation. SEPTA has since suspended Mosley from duty.

Authorities found the home infested with animals, five Great Danes, a husky, additional dogs, 26 chinchillas, snakes, birds, and bearded dragons, and determined the girl had been forced to clean up animal feces as part of her “punishments.”

Prosecutors emphasized that Spencer was not merely passive in the abuse. Despite being home while Mosley was at work, she allegedly did nothing to stop the abuse and actively participated in her daughter’s confinement and neglect. Judge Blue ordered Spencer to have no contact with either daughter unless approved by family court or the Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Both girls have since been removed from the home and are reportedly safe, though their current location has not been disclosed for confidentiality reasons.

“What we heard today, it’s just unfathomable to me,” said Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins. “What this young woman survived was absolutely horrific.”

Spencer and Mosley were both charged on May 11, 2025, with the following offenses:

• 1^st-degree Kidnapping (one count)
• 2^nd-degree Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping (one count)
• 2^nd-degree Aggravated Assault (one count)
• 2^nd-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child – Abuse/Neglect (five counts)
• 3^rd-degree Criminal Restraint (one count)
• 3^rd-degree Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon (one count)
• 3^rd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (one count)
• 4^th-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (one count)

Mosley was also charged with the following additional offenses:

• 1^st-degree Aggravated Sexual Assault (two counts)
• 2^nd-degree Sexual Assault (two counts)
• 2^nd-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child – Sexual Contact (one count)

As this case proceeds through the courts, it has become a grim call to action for strengthening child protection laws, especially in cases where homeschooling can be used as a cover for systemic abuse.

The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have indicated that further details may be released as the case develops.