BARTOW, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida mother pleaded guilty to lesser charges moments before her murder trial was scheduled to begin.
Alize Seymore is charged with the murder of her son, Anthony Rouse. Tre Seymore pleaded guilty and has agreed to testify against Alize. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office/FL Dept. of Corrections)
Alize Seymore was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with a witness, child abuse and causing a minor to become delinquent or dependent following the death of her son, 6-year-old Anthony Rouse. Alize’s husband, Tre, who was Rouse’s stepfather, was also charged in the case. On July 28, just as jury selection was about to begin, Alize pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated child abuse. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently.
Police were initially called to the Seymores’ home on April 22, 2023, for a reported drowning. They found the child face down in the bathtub, but noted the bathroom had no electricity or natural light and the doors to the bathroom had been locked. When Rouse was brought to the hospital, medical staff noticed he was covered in cigarette burns and had rectal bleeding.
In court documents, investigators said they found evidence that Alize and Tre would keep Rouse in a cage for hours at a time. Six other children living in the house told investigators they were rewarded for beating Rouse and forcing him into the cage. Rouse’s 10-year-old brother said he watched Tre drown the victim.
Search warrants served on Tre and Alize’s phones revealed images of Rouse in a cage and discussions about forcing him into the cage and abusing him. Hours before calling 911, Alize texted Tre, “I wanna put him up for adoption.”
Tre pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child abuse and causing a minor to become delinquent or dependent and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. As part of the plea deal, Tre had agreed to testify against Alize at her trial.
