Somorie Moses, also known by aliases such as “Somorie Barfield,” “Sugar Bear,” “Bear,” and “Daddy,” has been handed a life sentence for his heinous crimes of coercion, torture, and murder. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declared on April 5th that Moses would spend the remainder of his days behind bars after being found guilty of a litany of offenses, including se*x trafficking and the brutal slaying of Leondra Foster, a 32-year-old se*x worker.
His reign of terror spanned over a decade, starting in 2003 when he began luring women and girls under false pretenses of love and security. Once under his control, he subjected his victims to unspeakable horrors, including physical and psychological abuse, rape, and manipulation. Moses forced his victims into the dark world of prostitution, where he exploited them for financial gain, taking every penny they earned and branding them with tattoos bearing his name, a grotesque mark of ownership.
The details of his depravity are chilling. Moses threw one victim off a roof, savagely raped her, and even went so far as to bite off a piece of her flesh before callously spitting it back at her. Another woman suffered severe scarring after he slashed her with a razor and poured lemon juice on her wounds. His brutality knew no bounds, as he beat another victim with an extension cord, leaving her with multiple open wounds bleeding profusely.
In a particularly horrifying incident, Moses threatened one victim and her child with a shotgun, a grim reminder of the constant fear his victims lived under. But perhaps the most gruesome act was reserved for Leondra Foster, whose life was brutally extinguished by Moses’ hands. On the morning of January 13, 2017, Foster endured a fatal beating, sustaining multiple injuries to her head and body. Prosecutors believe she suffered a seizure and died moments later, her life snuffed out by the merciless actions of Somorie Moses.
But his cruelty didn’t end with Foster’s death. In a macabre display of inhumanity, Moses dismembered her body in their Brooklyn apartment, concealing the evidence before brazenly bringing another woman into the same space for his own gratification. The stench of bleach masked the horror within, as Moses attempted to erase any trace of his heinous crime.
Yet, justice prevailed as investigators uncovered the gruesome truth. Foster’s remains, including her head, hands, and feet, were found in Moses’ possession, serving as damning evidence of his monstrous deeds. United States Attorney Breon Peace aptly remarked that while a prison sentence cannot undo the immeasurable harm inflicted by Moses, it serves as a crucial safeguard against further atrocities.
Somorie Moses’ reign of terror has come to an end, but the scars he left on his victims will last a lifetime. His incarceration ensures that he will never again prey upon the vulnerable, providing some semblance of closure to those who suffered at his hands.
