A New York man who trafficked several women, killed his girlfriend, and dismembered her body will never walk free again.
United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon handed Somorie Moses, 47, a.k.a Sugar Bear, ten concurrent life sentences for the beating death of Leondra Foster, 32, and the sex trafficking of eight other women. Moses, who was a pimp and operated in Brooklyn and Queens, admitted to the killing and pleaded guilty to one count of murder and ten counts of sex trafficking.
“The life sentence imposed today on Somorie Moses is significant because it reflects the brutality and utter depravity of his crimes against vulnerable women and girls, which were committed over nearly two decades. The defendant forced his victims into prostitution through violence and beatings, and then murdered and dismembered Leondra Foster. A lengthy prison sentence cannot undo the extreme and lasting harm Moses has inflicted on his victims, but incarceration will prevent this killer who clearly has no respect for human life from victimizing others. It is my hope that today’s sentence brings some closure to the victims and their families,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
On Jan. 13, 2017, Moses brutally beat Foster, who was one of his sex trafficking victims, delivering blunt forced trauma all over her body until he fractured her skull. According to prosecutors, minutes later, the victim went into a seizure and died. As a result, the defendant dismembered Foster with a saw and a knife and hid her body in the apartment the duo shared.
Four days later, Moses disposed of Foster’s torso and limbs at a Bronx garbage disposal station. Later, authorities found the victim’s concealed head, hands, and feet, which had “Somorie” tattooed on it in a freezer during a search of the residence.
During the investigation, authorities interviewed several of Moses’ victims, who described his brutal abuse over the years. One victim told investigators that the defendant had brutally beaten her before he bit off a piece of her buttocks and spat it at her. Another victim who refused to work as a prostitute told investigators Moses had put a shotgun in her mouth and threatened to kill her and her child if she did not comply with his demands. A third victim described how the defendant cut her arms and back with a razor blade before beating her with a belt and then pouring lemon juice on her wounds.
Moses was previously convicted of negligent homicide and concealment of a corpse by the state court in 2019, reported the New York Post. As a result, he was served four to eight years and was on the cusp of being released when he was charged and arrested for murder by the feds.
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